


Those Who Slay Together, Stay Together

by Zombiegirl777



Category: Call of Duty (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 17:26:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 68,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18921667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zombiegirl777/pseuds/Zombiegirl777
Summary: Richtofen, Takeo, Nikolai and Dempsey escape from Der Riese to Kino Der Toten where they meet a girl who saves their lives and proves to be an asset in slaying the undead. Who is she though and why does she know who they are? Dempsey x OC/Richtofen x OC





	1. Welcome to Kino Der Toten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is also available on my Wattpad account, Zombiegirl777 there as well... Thank you again for reading ◕ ◡ ◕

Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and Dr. Edward Richtofen were running for their lives with a horde of flesh hungry zombies right behind them as they raced through the deserted hallways of Der Reise. Tank spun around quickly and aimed his MP5K, intending to lessen the number of undead on their tail but soon heard the all too familiar click, which meant...

"Great!" He yelled as he continued running behind Nikolai, "Knee deep in zombie shit with no ammo! Glorious!"

Nikolai was running as well as he could, considering the amount of vodka he had consumed earlier, as he too tried to kill off some of the zombies while hearing his weapon click as well...

"Greedy capitalist dogs! Give me ammo!" He yelled drunkenly as he ran for his life. He could see Takeo and Richtofen running in front of them as they turned to dash across a large metal bridge.

"Follow me mein comrades! Zhis way!" Richtofen shouted above the moans of the undead right behind them. They all rounded a corner and came face to face with a large teleporter, glowing a purple blue color and radiating with some sort of strange energy.

Richtofen ran inside the glowing machinery, pressing buttons furiously while Takeo covered him with his M14, holding the zombies back momentarily. Nikolai and Dempsey ran into the teleporter and drew their knives, knowing with what ammunition they had, or didn't have rather, they could not stay here long.

"Takeo one, zombie zero!" the Japanese man cheered after blowing a zombie's head clean off. "Shi-Ne!" he cried as he blasted three more into oblivion.

"Eat my blade maggot sack!" Dempsey shouted, knifing a zombie that got too close as he turned to see the crazy German doctor fiddling with some sort of control panel.

"Richtofen! We need to get the hell-"

"Zhere!" He shouted as he looked at the others in the teleporter with him, checking briefly to make sure they were all standing on the glowing pad beneath their feet. 

"I hope zhis works, jah?" He laughed while smiling crazily as he pressed a button that made the world around them erupt into flashes of white before they all felt that familiar sickening feeling of teleportation. 

Another flash of white and they were back on solid ground, but somewhere else. 

Tank felt a little nauseous but began to examine his surroundings. "What the hell just happened? Everyone okay?" He asked, eyeing Nikolai who looked a little worse for wear. 

"Ugh, I feel like I will throw up..." The other man slurred as he leaned over slightly. 

"A mere side effect Russian..." Richtofen explained while the sound of Nikolai puking could be heard in the background. "Everyzhing is normal." He continued while looking around at the strange room they were in. 

Four windows that were boarded up, a staircase on each side of the room leading to the upstairs window and a locked door, a door on the bottom that was, surprise, also locked, and finally a heavy set of metal doors that wouldn't budge but had no lock. After playing this little game more than once, they all knew the key to surviving was to find the power switch.

"We need to bring light to this dark place." Takeo stated calmly as Nikolai stumbled over, apparently feeling well enough to start drinking again, as he took another swig from his bottle.

"No power! Just like home!" He laughed while Takeo shot him a look that implied what little honor he had. Not that Nikolai cared, in his book vodka was much better than honor any day...

"It's like déjà vu all over again..." Dempsey said cautiously, walking towards the upstairs door as he could have sworn he heard a strange sound coming from that direction...

The Marine whistled lowly to get the rest of his group's attention as he pointed towards the door in front of him, all of them hearing the sound of _something_ approaching. As it got increasingly louder and closer they could tell it was the footsteps of... Someone running? It didn't sound like the zombies...

BANG!

The door in front of them swung open revealing a young woman with black hair and dangerous green eyes which widened in shock when she came face to face with the group of zombie killers.

 _What the F?!_ Isabella thought to herself momentarily before remembering why she was running in the first place...

Before any of them had a chance to do anything, she pulled out a ray gun and turned around, shooting the zombies pouring into the hallway behind her while blasting away at least twenty in the process. 

"Death by green doughnuts! Ahahaha!" She shouted, laughing to herself while reloading. More zombies arrived, tearing at the boards on the windows surrounding them as she looked back at the newcomers for a moment. 

 _I can't believe it's really them..._ Isabella thought briefly before turning her full attention to the fight at hand.

The zombies began breaching the windows as she helped Takeo hold them off since they were the only ones with any ammunition. Richtofen ran forward plunging his knife into a zombies head before it fell to the ground, dead again. 

"Vithout bullets I vill have to resort to SCHTABBING!" He cried while laughing hysterically and running to slash more undead.

"I need to find some lead or I'm gonna get bored here!" Tank whined as Nikolai nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll have to kill them with my breath!" The Soviet slurred, trying to make a joke out of their bad situation while downing the rest of his vodka and throwing the empty bottle straight into a zombies head, stunning it momentarily before it came running forward yet again.

Isabella looked back for a moment noticing that, armed as they were, they couldn't survive here long. She turned and began shooting her way through the hallway she'd come from while yelling over her shoulder at the other men. 

"Follow me! I know where you can get better weapons!"

That was all Dempsey needed to hear before he was running right behind her. "Woohoo!" He shouted excitedly, "Finally get to kill more freak bags! Lead the way little girl!"

She frowned when she heard that. "My name's Isabella, not 'little girl'!" She said while leading everyone through the hallway and down a set of stairs, blasting zombies out of the way as she went. She exited the stairs, making sure the next room was clear of any undead and pointed to a chalk outline of a shotgun on a nearby wall. 

"That gun is pretty good..."

Dempsey walked up and grabbed it with a smile. "I'm gonna spill their guts all over the place!" He said while moving back to cover the stairs as Isabella lead the other three soldiers down yet another set of stairs, pointing to yet another chalk outline of a gun.

Richtofen practically skipped over to it before plucking it off the wall. "Ze MP40! Wunderbar!" He giggled in a high pitched voice before unleashing deadly accuracy upon the zombies trying the breach the bottom two windows. 

Nikolai grabbed an MP40 for himself and began shooting the zombies with less accuracy than the German but still killing a good amount of them.

"You cannot even beat a drunk Soviet!" He yelled while firing into his window and taking out all the zombies in it. Takeo had run back up the stairs to assist Dempsey since that's where the remainder of the horde of zombies was coming from. 

Richtofen killed the rest of the zombies in his window as the American and Japanese soldiers worked together to dispose of the rest coming down the steps. Isabella looked around the room and watched them all defending their respective areas, working together as a team. 

 _They're really good at this..._ She thought absentmindedly, smiling slightly as she sat back for a moment and watched them all do what they did best.

When the last zombie fell to the ground, they all regrouped in the center of the room around a table with a sweet looking turret on it as Isabella decided now was the perfect time to break the ice.

"So," She stated clapping her hands together once while getting their attention. 

"I'm Isabella. Isabella Valentine. It's nice to meet you Dr. Edward Richtofen, Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Misaki, and Tank Dempsey." She looked at each person respectively as she said their name, receiving shocked looks from all of them...

"Welcome to Kino Der Toten."


	2. FETCH ME THEIR SOULS

"Welcome to Kino Der Toten." Isabella said while silently musing to herself. 

 _Wow, they're all a lot taller than I thought they'd be... Or I'm just short. That's probably it..._  She realized, allowing her eyes to shift over to where Dempsey was standing _._

_And Tank is so damn HOT-_

The woman frowned momentarily, slapping her inner fan girl self while trying to will away the faint pink blush she could feel on her face as she looked around, the reality of things finally setting in.

_I can't have a crush on a video game character..._

"How do you know who ve are?" Richtofen questioned, interrupting her thoughts as he eyed her suspiciously.

 _What are the odds..._ Dempsey wondered, unable to look away from the woman in front of him as he watched the doc interrogate her. He wasn't used to being around women since becoming stranded with this strange team after the zombies attacked. He shook his head slightly, pushing away unwanted memories as he glanced back up at the strange girl, waiting for her to answer Richtofen's question.

Isabella paled for a moment. She didn't think this far ahead. She couldn't just come out and tell them the truth... 

 _Yeah Isabella..._ Her inner voice began, _J_ _ust tell them that you got sucked into your Xbox when lightning decided to rape your console and the Call of Duty game inside it! They won't think you're crazy or anything..._ It finished sarcastically.

"Um..." She mumbled, struggling to come up with a lie as she remembered the pictures in the hallway upstairs and got an idea. 

"Your portraits..." Isabella stated, hoping that would work. "Upstairs. They have your names on them." 

Nikolai, Takeo and Dempsey seemed to buy it, but she could tell the doctor wasn't fooled. She was about to try to change the subject, but was cut off by a familiar demonic voice...

"FETCH ME THEIR SOULS!" It screamed as a thick fog crept into the room, making it difficult to see.

"You don't want my soul, it probably tastes like vodka!" Nikolai said to the disembodied voice while envisioning his favorite beverage. "Mmmmm... Vodka."

Isabella knew what was about to happen as lightning began to strike randomly around the room. But she had a plan. 

"Takeo!" She said, taking everyone by surprise as she walked forward and handed him her ray gun. "Use this. It's a one hit kill on the dogs..."

He looked shocked and was about to say something and refuse her generous gift, when Isabella cut him off before he could. They didn't have time to be honorable right now. 

"Don't worry," Isabella said with a smile, sensing his discomfort. "I've got something better..."

 _What the fuck could be better than the ray gun?_ Dempsey wondered as he watched her pull out an M16 with strange red markings all over it. _What the-_

He didn't have time to think about her weapon anymore as a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of him, summoning a hellhound that came charging his way. Two blasts from his shotgun put it down quickly.

"Fuck you Fido!" Tank yelled as he blasted another hellhound in the face, causing it to explode.

"Nein! My poor little accidents... STAY AVAY!" Richtofen shouted as three dogs raced towards him. He quickly emptied a clip into their heads, effectively silencing them all. The doctor laughed like a madman as he reloaded his weapon expertly while more bolts of lightning appeared as the sounds of gun fire and angry howling were all that could be heard.

Isabella aimed her gun at two dogs running down the stairs, killing them in a matter of seconds with what appeared to be a stream of laser beam bullets from her M16. 

"Bad doggies! No treats for you!" She giggled as she fired more rounds into another demonic dog.

 _That gun is badass!_ Tank thought excitedly as he struggled to concentrate on the battle at hand, forcing himself to look away when he noticed he was staring at Isabella yet again.

"Pew pew pew! Ha ha ha!" Takeo chuckled, grinning slightly as he shot a flaming hellhound with the ray gun, splattering the ground with blood and bits of fur. 

Three more spawned nearby and raced towards Isabella since she was the smallest target to the dogs and presumably, an easy meal. But she didn't plan on being any puppy's chew toy. Raising her weapon in an instant she fired at the approaching dogs, hitting one in the head killing it instantly and blowing another one's leg off, which surprisingly enough, didn't slow it down a whole lot.

 _Oh shit, not good!_ She thought as her gun clicked. She backed up, hitting the wall and trying to reload as quickly as possible but these dogs were fucking fast as shit!

Suddenly the dog with three legs exploded after being hit with a shotgun blast. The other dog running towards her met the same fate, put down by a blast of green from the ray gun. Isabella looked towards Dempsey and Takeo who were standing near her, guns at the ready, looking around for their next target. The lightning had stopped however and the fog began to dissipate, meaning they had survived this little game... For now.

A golden ammunition box appeared, hovering in the air where the last dog had been killed, glowing with an eerie green light. Isabella walked up to it and touched it, resulting in it's disappearance and a sinister voice that echoed throughout the room.

"MAX AMMO!"

Everyone looked down and noticed their clips were all full. "A gift from Sam? But vhy?" Richtofen questioned out loud, wondering exactly what that little girl was up to...

"Who cares!" Tank interrupted, "Ammunition on the house!" He shouted as he high-fived Nikolai who was standing next to him with a laugh.

"If only vodka was on the house, da?" The Russian commented sadly, draining the last few drops from his now fully empty vodka bottle. Isabella rolled her eyes and reached into her back pack, pulling out... You guessed it, delicious vodka!

"Here." She said, trying to keep a straight face as she handed it to the soldier with a grin.

"Vodka! My-" He shouted happily, but stopped after taking a closer look at the bottle he was holding. "Wait... Why is there picture of cherries?"

"It's cherry flavored vodka... It's really good!" Isabella assured him, pointing at him seriously before smirking. "But you have to share!"

Richtofen, Dempsey and Takeo nearly died laughing at the mental image of the war harden Soviet having cherry flavored cocktails with the younger woman. Nikolai looked from the strange girl to his own comrades rolling on the floor laughing at him, deciding what to do. Psssh, as if there was any other choice than him consuming vodka. He shrugged, laughing a bit himself at the situation and unscrewed the cap, draining about half the bottle in a few swigs.

"HEY!" Isabella shouted while noticing. "I said you had to share!"

...

Later that night...

...

After they decided who would take watch, Nikolai passed out on the couch upstairs next to the bathroom while the doctor and Takeo slept on the two couches downstairs in the lobby. Dempsey had taken his gun and gone to go look around while Isabella began making herself comfortable on the balcony overlooking the stage. Dempsey had volunteered for first watch, and Isabella offered to take the second one but she really couldn't sleep. It was weird not being here alone anymore...

She reached into her pack and pulled out a tattered purple journal, flipping to the last entry.

_March 2, 2011_

_Today it's been exactly two weeks since I became stranded in this godforsaken theater. Things are going much better than when I first arrived... I've managed to acquire some good weapons that are very effective against the undead. The ray gun has proven itself to be invaluable, as it has already saved my life more than once. Luckily, I was equipped with my knowledge of this place before I appeared here or I can only assume I would have perished. Yesterday my phone finally died, cutting off what little contact I had with Bri and Zack... I hope they are okay. I know Zack will take care of her... But how am I going to get to Russia?_

She flipped the page and pulled a pen from her bag, clicking the tip before she began.

_ March 10, 2011 _

_ I haven't updated in a while because nothing had changed... Until today. Dempsey, Takeo, Richtofen, and Nikolai arrived just before nightfall, following what I'm assuming is the same plot line as the game. If I'm correct, that means they just came from Der Riese. I'm keeping my secret of how I got here to myself for now since it is rather strange... Perhaps with time they will be able to accept it and maybe understand. I wonder how I can convince Rictofen to help me... I need him to reprogram the teleporter so I can get to Russia as soon as possible. Maybe I should just tell them I need their help? It's been a while since I've spoken to Brianna and Zack. I hope they are still alive... _

She closed the book with a sigh while looking up and noticing something... Dempsey's face was about two inches away from her own.

"Hey th-"

"Aaaah! Zombie!" She screeched, slapping him in the face with her book and sending him flying. To her surprise he jumped up and tackled her, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh! You're gonna wake everyone up!" He whispered, slowly letting her go once she calmed down. 

Isabella backed up, frowning at him and whispering harshly. "I wouldn't have screamed if you didn't sneak up on me!" Crossing her arms defensively, she continued. "What do you want?"

Tank shrugged his shoulders as he went to sit down on the balcony. 

"I dunno. I'm bored." He admitted as Isabella sat down next to him since he was in her spot now. "Aren't you supposed to be getting some sleep?"

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping watch?" The woman countered as he smirked.

"I can do that from up here."

"..."

"So... How in the hell did you end up here?" Dempsey questioned, trying to keep the conversation going as he knew he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about her sudden appearance. He looked over at said girl who seemed to be in deep thought as she subconsciously played with a few strands of her dark hair. 

 _Should I tell him the truth?_ She wondered while panicking slightly.  _It's probably going to come out eventually and I don't want to lie..._

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to-" He started to say, but she cut him off.

"Even if I tell you the truth you might not believe me..." Isabella began, turning to look him in the eyes. She took a deep breath as Tank waited for her to continue.

"It all started when I decided to log into Xbox live during a thunderstorm..."


	3. Sketches and Stalkers

For the next couple hours, while everyone was still sleeping, Isabella proceeded to explain everything that had happened up to this point to Dempsey. 

She told him about playing the game during the thunderstorm and about her theory of how a strange bolt of lightning had somehow glitched her into the game. She explained how she had been separated from her sister and her sister's boyfriend and how they were teleported as well, but to a different area. 

A different map she had called it... Finally, she told him about how she lost contact with them about ten days ago and her goal to get Richtofen to fix the teleporter so they could travel to Russia and find them.

"And that's my plan." She paused, taking a deep breath before letting it out again. "Any questions?"

For once in his life Tank Dempsey was at a loss for words. "So what you're saying... Is this is a game?" He inquired slowly.

She hesitated but nodded. He needed to know the truth. _I wonder what I'd think if someone told me my life as I knew it was a game..._

"I know it sounds-"

"Crazy?" He supplied quickly.

Isabella nodded again and looked away, continuing in a quieter voice. "But it's the truth..."

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "...I believe you."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah..." Tank continued while leaning back and stretching casually. "A lot of crazy shit has happened to us since we've gotten involved with those teleporters..." He sighed again and gestured towards the room where the other men were sleeping. 

"And Richtofen's the only one who knows how to use the damn things." He frowned at the thought of the insane doctor being the one in control of the situation at the moment.

"I know, that's why I'm going to ask for his help." Isabella stated, deep in thought as to how she would persuade the other soldier.

Tank snorted. "Good luck with that. Stupid kraut only cares about himself."

"We'll have to leave this place at some point." She reasoned, not meeting his eyes. "If we don't, we'll all die..."

Dempsey thought about it. They would run out of ammunition eventually and once that happened they would be done for. They had to stop this once and for all. As much as Tank Dempsey loved killing freak bags, he was tired. 

 _I'm sure the rest of them feel the same..._ He reasoned, thinking of his teammates in the other room. Surely they didn't want to fight zombies forever. Or until their seemingly everlasting good luck decided to end...

"That little girl..." Isabella continued while staring off into space. "We need to stop _her_. She's the one sending all these zombies after us!" She explained, gesturing dramatically. 

 _Wait... How the hell do you stop/kill a freaking ghost?_ She asked herself, placing a finger underneath her chin and becoming lost in her own thoughts.  _You sound so dumb right now... Shut the hell up self!_

"Little girl...?" Dempsey questioned interrupting her mental battle against herself.

Isabella was about to explain when a voice from behind them yawned. 

"Guten Morgan! Vhat vere you-"

"AAAAaaaaah! ZOMBIE!" Isabella screamed, turning instantly and throwing her journal straight into said zombies face, sending him stumbling backwards. Isabella suddenly came to the realization that zombies don't speak with a German accent.

_Actually zombies don't speak at all. They just kind of groan and yell..._

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! It's just well, you scared me... I thought..."

Isabella jumped up to help while apologizing as Tank laughed hysterically at the doctor's misfortune. She shot him a glare as she ran over to the doctor. Richtofen groaned in pain and went to wipe the blood off his face but Isabella got there first.

"Here, let me help!" She said while gently cleaning a bit of blood off his cheek with her sleeve. "I'm really sorry I hit you in the face..." She continued, but the doctor wasn't listening. 

Having a strange woman this close to him was very unusual and he wasn't sure he liked it. He felt vulnerable for once as his mind raced back to another time before all the destruction and violence had taken over... 

Isabella noticed how tense he was and stopped, backing up slightly. "Sorry again." She repeated, finally interrupting his thoughts.

"Vell be more careful next time!" He said sternly, getting to his feet and dusting himself off before continuing. 

"Get some sleep if you vish." Richtofen stated, speaking to both of them. "I vill stand guard."

Tank stood up and headed downstairs as Isabella started to follow him, something in her mind making her stop however as she realized this might be her chance to ask the doctor some important questions. She walked back to the balcony, remaining silent for a moment while glancing at the doctor and imaging how this conversation might go...

"Ja?" Richtofen mumbled, not even bothering to look at her.

"I was wondering if I could ask you some questions..."

Her turned to glance at her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "About vhat?"

"This game. Samantha. All of it." She replied without thinking of the repercussions. "I wanted to know if you-"

Isabella instantly regretting her decision to make that her first statement, as she came face to face with the barrel of the doctor's M1911. Her eyes widened in shock as she felt her face go white. 

 _Wow, he's fast on the draw..._ She thought, trying to distract herself from the fact that she had a gun in her face. She glanced up from the gun to Richtofen who looked pissed... _B_ _ut also a little upset?_ _I shouldn't have brought that up..._

"Leave." He growled, turning away and lowering his gun.

Isabella didn't need to be told twice. She was gone in a flash, grabbing her bag and her journal quickly before heading downstairs to the lobby where the others were sleeping soundly. She passed Takeo and Dempsey on the couches and Nikolai... Who was passed out face down on the floor. 

Looking around for a place to sit, she spotted a counter near the Quick Revive machine and hopped up. 

 _Well that didn't go quite like I planned..._ Isabella concluded after a moment, pulling out her journal shakily and drawing on a few spare pieces of paper in an effort to calm down.

First, an illustration of the chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, then the details of the walls, including the large red banners, then the stairs... 

 _This is nice..._ She realized, looking over her drawings when suddenly, she had a great idea. _I should get a sketch of the theater! And the teleporter of course..._

Her mind made up, she jumped down from the counter and began walking up the stairs as quietly as she could manage. Peeking around the corner first, she noticed Richtofen wasn't on the balcony anymore. 

_Hmm... Wonder where he went to..._

She continued down the hallway, down the steps to the room with the MP40 and Speed Cola, through the dressing room and onto the stage in the theater. 

Isabella looked around for a minute then jumped down, walking to the back near Juggernog and taking a seat against the large metal door she intentionally kept closed. Pulling out a fresh piece of paper she began drawing the basic layout of the theater while humming one of her favorite songs to herself.

_I've wasted all this time trying to stand by your side~_  
_The wolves are coming out tonight, but they have heard your cry~_  
_And no one will believe you now, there's no place to hide_ , _and now the wolves that you have cried will eat you alive~_

Isabella yawned while putting the finishing touches on her drawing and admiring it for a moment.

_I can't wait to show these to Bri-_

She stopped herself, feeling her heart ache for the billionth time since she was separated from her older sister. 

 _How am I going to find her? How am I ever going to get us home..._ She felt that burning sensation in her eyes, which she knew meant the tears were about to come. Managing to fight them back yet again, she sighed heavily, trying to think about more positive things about the situation she was in. She didn't realize how mentally and physically exhausted she was until she yawned again.

 _I'll just close my eyes for a minute..._ A few minutes later she was passed out sitting up, pencil still in hand.

Completely unaware of the eyes that were watching her.


	4. Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bacy

_Isabella was running for her life. She could hear her sister's panicked screams above the moans of the undead as she cried for help. Running towards the sound of her voice, she turned a corner and found her sister on her knees, cradling the dead body of her boyfriend Zack. He had been bitten quite a few times and was missing an arm, the wounds still gushing fresh blood which was now everywhere..._

_"Brianna! We have to go!" She pleaded, trying to pull her sister away from her former lover. The zombies were beginning to surround them and if they didn't run now they were done for. Suddenly Zack's eyes shot open, an eerie yellow glow shining within them..._

_"_ _NO!" Isabella shouted, but was too late. Before Brianna even knew what was happening she felt teeth digging into the side of her neck as a horrifying scream left her throat..._

The last sound Isabella heard was her sister's painful cries as she awoke with a jolt. The sound of creepy demonic laughter could be heard in the distance, making her wonder if that was part of her dream or reality... 

Isabella ran a hand through her hair, shaking slightly.  _That was a fucked up nightmare... But it was just a dream..._ She kept telling herself, all the while wondering why she felt so warm opposed to last night when she was freezing her ass off. Looking down, she saw the bright red patch on the arm of the jacket covering her as realization hit her. 

 _No way..._ She thought before frowning in confusion.  _Why be so nice after last night?_ She questioned, shuddering a bit while thinking back to the angry look on Richtofen's face when she'd tried to talk to him.

_Well, this is good... Maybe now he'll be more willing to tell me about the teleporters and stuff-_

Isabella stopped mid-thought when she realized that her journal wasn't on the ground anywhere around her. She looked in her bag, already knowing it wasn't in there because she remembered falling asleep with it on her lap last night. Now, it was nowhere to be seen... 

She looked down at the jacket in her hands, frowning slightly before standing up and dusting herself off.  _I_ _know who I'm going to ask first..._ She thought, stomping out of the stage area to find the crazy doctor... And her journal.

Isabella walked into the MP40 room finding Takeo and Nikolai awake and working on adding more boards to the windows for protection against the swarms that were sure to come at some point in the near future. She grinned evilly, a brilliant plan forming in her mind. Tip toeing towards the two soldiers, she stopped in the middle of the room and took a deep breath.

"Good morning!~" She sang loudly, causing them both to jump. Neither of them were quite used to having her around yet and they did not look nearly as amused as Isabella who was giggling as she skipped away up the steps towards the main lobby. 

Once she was gone, Nikolai and Takeo looked at each other before sighing and shaking their heads, going back to work on the fortifications. 

"Women..." Nikolai muttered under his breath before he took a swig from his bottle. "Always causing trouble..."

 _That was funny..._ Isabella thought while smiling as she made her way down some steps, heading towards the couches and finding a sleeping Marine who looked very peacefully for a change. He was obviously very content with whatever he was dreaming about.

 _Too bad I have to wake him up..._ She grinned deviously while moving closer.

"Taaaaaank~" She sang, "Tank Dempsey~"

...Nothing.

Isabella reached out and poked him gently on the arm a couple times. "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bacy-" 

That did it. 

The Marine was awake in a flash, his hand quickly capturing the wrist of the person disturbing his dreams and gripping it roughly. Isabella gasped in shock as Dempsey realized what was happening and let her go.

Backing away a bit while rubbing her wrist, she tried to shake it off. 

"Good morn-"

"Don't sneak up on me like that when I'm sleeping." Dempsey said in a warning tone while giving her a glare that said he was serious about this. "You're gonna get hurt."

Isabella nodded. It probably was a good idea to stop sneaking around and scaring them. Even if it was extremely fun to do.

"Okay. I'm really sorry I scared you..." She said, a teasing smile making its way onto her face.

"Scared me?" Tank repeated with a laugh, his frown disappearing as he realized this girl was definitely tougher than she looked. "I thought I scared _you_..." 

He grinned back at her, making her blush and look down. Isabella glanced back up slowly while tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear, unsure of where to take the conversation from here. 

"Nope..." She said after a few seconds, her usual fiery personality returning once more. "I don't scare so easily you know..." She added in a flirty tone before flashing him a dazzling smile. 

Tank smiled back, looking behind her briefly before returning his gaze to her own and smiling even wider. 

"Oh yeah?" He asked, thoroughly amused by the situation. "Not afraid of anything, huh?"

"Yep." Crossing her arms, Isabella stood her ground and raised an eyebrow. She was too wrapped up in her conversation to notice that the sound of windows being boarded up in the next room had stopped. More importantly, she didn't notice the two men from the previous room creep down the steps, sneaking up on her like she had done to them, intent on getting their revenge...

Takeo took a seat silently on the other couch in the room, shaking his head at the antics of the people he was forced to cooperate with, while Nikolai crept up behind her and put his face close to her ear.

 _Hm, I smell alcohol..._ Isabella thought briefly before a deep voice behind her made her jump about three feet in the air. 

"Boo."

"HOLY FRITTLECAKES!" She screamed, spinning around quickly to view her 'attacker' as she lost her balance and fell backwards onto the Marine who was still sitting on the couch.

OOF _._

 _Oh... Heyyy~_ Isabella thought mischievously as she looked up, realizing that she was now sitting on Dempsey's lap.

 _This isn't a bad place to be..._ She realized, giggling to herself while sensing his discomfort. In front of them a drunken Nikolai was rolling on the floor laughing hysterically at his own prank. Even Takeo could be heard chuckling a bit.

 _How the hell is it that he always has vodka to drink?_ Isabella wondered momentarily before remembering that she was using the Marine as a chair.

"Thought you didn't scare so easily..." A deep voice right behind her said with a laugh as Tank placed a hand on her shoulder, helping her up from where she'd landed on him. 

Isabella smiled up at him, blushing again. _Jeez, calm down girl!_ Her inner voice teased,  _You've been around cute guys before... Why so nervous?_ Taking a deep breath, she gathered her thoughts as a familiar German doctor decided to join the party.

"Vhat vas zhis I'm hearing about frittlecakes?" He asked with a large grin on his face. 

Nikolai started cracking up again. Takeo was busy thinking about honor. Tank laughed, but coughed/snorted a bit to try and cover it up. Isabella heard and punched him in the arm as Dempsey laughed harder. 

"Domestic violence!" Nikolai yelled as he pointed a finger towards Dempsey and Isabella. 

"What the hell-" Isabella started to say but was interrupted by something none of them wanted to hear.

"HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE LITTLE BREAK!" The all too familiar demonic voice yelled. "NOW IT'S TIME TO PLAY!" It finished in a harsh whisper as a strange music began to play and a mystery box spawned in every room.

"Sweet!" Isabella cheered as she raced up the stairs and opened the lid to the box in front of her while the rest of the guys ran off to find another box to use. She watched the guns change quickly before her eyes as it finally slowed down and settled on a...

Her green eyes widened as she grabbed the gun from the box and laughed like a madm- Scratch that. Laughed like Richtofen. She laughed like the crazy doctor when she realized that she had acquired her favorite, and quite arguably the best, gun in the game. With the Skullcrusher strapped to her back and her new amazing weapon in her hands, she was ready for whatever was coming next. 

Zombies began tearing at the boards on the windows around her as she smiled, thinking to herself. 

_Alright Samantha, let's fucking play..._

In the next room Tank had gotten lucky as well, taking a Galil from the box and eyeing it affectionately. 

"These blood sucking gutter slugs are going out Dempsey style!" He shouted, blasting at the zombies coming towards him while making his way back to the lobby.

Richtofen, who ran to the box in MP40 room, got the Dragonov as he cursed in German while taking his crappy weapon from the box. 

Takeo reached the next box in the dressing room first, receiving the CZ75. 

"A worthless weapon from an honorless box!" He shouted in disgust, thankful that he at least had the ray gun to rely on. And finally Nikolai made it all the way onto the stage just in time to get the...

"Fuck you monkey!" He shouted, wanting to throw the damn thing back in that stupid box. He grabbed it out of there anyway, knowing it would come in handy, just as all the boxes in the theater disappeared in a flash. 

The sound of the metal door opening behind him made the Russian turn around, only to see the tiny woman rushing down the center aisle with about twenty zombies on her tail as she shouted.

"Hey Nikolai! Watch this!" 

She turned around and fired her cannon like weapon sending the whole group flying, some hitting the walls and the ceiling as they died from impact. Others were blown apart completely by the sheer force of the blast.

"Holy shit!" Nikolai yelled, truly amazed. "It must be vodka powered!"

Isabella rolled her eyes. _Men..._

Just then Dempsey came running through the door armed with his new Galil, followed by Takeo and Richtofen. The doctor noticed the large cannon the girl was holding, sighing wistfully before smiling. 

"Ah, ze DG-3! Wunderbar!" 

Isabella grinned up at the doctor, a plan formulating in her mind quickly as she spoke. 

"Can we get out of here?" She asked, pointing to the teleporter while noticing the abnormally large amount of zombies pouring in through the windows. Tank was keeping them at bay, killing zombies left and right while Nikolai slayed the undead on the stage with his MP40, getting a surprising amount of head shots for someone so drunk.

"Und vere do you suggest ve go?" Richtofen said sarcastically as he pulled the trigger on the sniper rifle, sending a bullet through a zombies skull and causing it to explode.

"Russia." Isabella answered seriously, backing up towards the stage along with the doctor as they both tried to lessen the amount of reanimated corpses headed their way. 

"There's an old Soviet Cosmodrome there-"

"I know ze place you speak of... But ze question is, how do you know about zhat-" 

They didn't have any more time to talk, as a thick fog crept in and lightning began to strike around the theater.  _What the F is going on?_ Isabella thought panicking slightly.  _Zombies and hellhounds never come at the same time..._

As if reading her thoughts, Samantha's demonic voice screamed. 

"IT'S MY GAME! I MAKE THE RULES! HAHAHA!"

Richtofen ran up the steps to the stage and began working on the teleporter. "I vill need time!" He shouted, pressing a few buttons before glancing back her way. "Hold zem off as long as you can!" 

Isabella nodded and relayed the message to the others. "Fall back to the teleporter!"

The other three men backed up slowly, making a circle around the teleporter while killing zombies and hellhounds as they continued spawning and pouring in faster than they could dispose of them. Takeo was using his ray gun to take out the dogs while Nikolai began winding a monkey to distract the zombies. 

"Finally I get to watch this thing explode..." The Russian thought happily as he threw the strange contraption into the theater's center aisle. "I fucking hate monkeys." He grumbled as the toy began clapping it's cymbals together and playing an eerie tune, drawing the zombies towards it. 

"Bye bye!" It said in a high pitched voice before exploding, taking out the large crowd around it and making a few crawlers.

"Zhere! I have done it!" The doctor yelled triumphantly as he motioned for everyone to run inside. Isabella guarded the entrance while the final preparations where made and the coordinates were set. 

A group of dogs came running towards them all, but they were quickly silenced by a blast of air from the Thundergun.

 _I love this gun..._ Isabella thought, smiling as she sent another flaming hound sailing through the air, its body crashing through the podium in the center of the stage. 

She reloaded her weapon, seeing more dogs rushing towards them but was suddenly jerked back into the teleporter as Richtofen hit the launch button, making them all vanish and leaving some very disappointed zombies who were still hungry for a meal...

The group of zombie killers appeared a millisecond later in front of yet another run down house that looked to be the scene of a recent murder. Just like everywhere else they went or have ever been. 

Once entering the shack, Isabella noticed the bodies of zombies decaying in the room around them, the smell of blood and death making the air almost toxic. She had to cover her nose and mouth because the stench was so terrible. She coughed a bit and scanned the surrounding area for anything familiar. Nothing. 

_This isn't the Cosmodrome..._

"Where are we?" She asked, following the doctor who was already exploring, making his way to one of the rooms towards the back of the house. He walked up to a filing cabinet in what appeared to be someone's office at one point in time and began shuffling through folders and papers, apparently on the hunt for something.

"Zhis vas zhe home of Gersch..." He explained, turning to look down at her as she caught up with him. "Very close to the Cosmodrome vere he did all his research... Do you know anyzhing about Dr. Gersch?" Richtofen asked while continuing to search for whatever he was trying to find.

"I know he created the Gersch device..." She stated while trying to recall the facts, yet wondering how much she could really tell him that he didn't already know.

"DID YOU THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE SO EASILY?" A sinister voice screeched, interrupting her and taking everyone by surprise as the creepy child's laughter filled the air.

"Samantha..." Isabella mumbled, readying her cannon. "Why don't you stop hiding!" She yelled while looking around for any sign of the demon girl. 

"Come out and fight!"

Everyone had their weapons at the ready for what was to come. But none of them, including Isabella, could have predicted what happened next. The last thing they heard was that goddamn creepy laughter followed by everything around them turning white until suddenly they were no longer there.

"BUT HIDE AND SEEK IS MY FAVORITE!" Sam screamed, "LET'S PLAY!"


	5. Time to Ascend

THUD. "Ouch!"

Isabella landed on the ground hard, feeling a little nauseous from all the teleporting. She looked around slowly while rubbing her eyes, cursing to herself as she instantly realized she was alone once more.

 _Shit... What a bitch..._ She thought while standing up, referring to the demon girl that was the cause of all this trouble. _I wonder where the others went... I hope they're okay..._

Continuing to observe her surroundings, she saw something that actually made her heart leap with joy. A massive space shuttle... Running fast on shaky legs, Isabella bolted down the steps while dashing towards the main building. 

"Brianna!" She yelled excitedly, "Zack!"

...No answer.

She practically flew up two flights of stairs and ran onto the roof... No one. 

She noticed that the rocket hadn't been launched yet which meant Pack-A-Punch wasn't open... Running down through the gate, through another small room and up another flight of stairs, she passed the Speed Cola machine and arrived at the lander near the sickle. 

Still, no sign of life other than herself. Beginning to panic a bit, she tried to calm herself down, remembering that there were still a few places they could be... 

 _I haven't checked near Stamin-Up yet..._ She thought, giving the situation some hope.

Heading back downstairs she made a right, leading her outside where she followed the path all the way past the lander onto the large stage area. 

"BRIANNA!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, "Answer me!"

...Nothing.

Isabella arrived at the gate to Stamin-Up, panting slightly from all the running around, as she kicked the metal door open before proceeding with caution, Skullcrusher at the ready. Walking down the narrow passageway, she passed the AK74u on the wall and turned the corner. The woman walked over to the glowing yellow machine and kicked it, grabbing a bottle of soda from inside victoriously and drinking it's contents in a few gulps.

 _I was really thirsty- OH MY GOD THAT IS SOUR!_ She realized suddenly as her lips puckered from the taste.

"Listen..." A strange voice said making Isabella jump as she looked around, desperately trying to locate the source of the sound. "Help me..." It continued weakly, thoroughly creeping the young girl out.

 _As if I didn't have enough to worry about with the zombies..._ She thought in irritation, glancing around as she wondered if this was one of Samantha's tricks.  _Now I have to deal with hearing voices in my head!_

"She's coming!" The disembodied voice yelled in a panicked tone, "The mechanism must be repaired!"

 _Gersch..._ Isabella realized suddenly, relaxing a bit before the sounds of boards being torn down could be heard all around her. 

_Shit..._

She aimed her upgraded M16 at the first zombies that had peeked through the window, blowing their heads off expertly with a stream of laser bullets as more began to swarm in. 

"Come get some!" Isabella yelled with a crazy smile, blasting away a few more before whipping a grenade into the growing crowd that was starting to surround her.

Retreating into the back room which was a junkyard of some sort, she ran past the broken landers and other various inoperable machines that littered the ground as she made her way to the functional lander in the back. She had quite the head start on the zombies thanks to the Stamin-Up but luckily, she didn't even need to call it and wait since it was already parked at this station _._  

Isabella jumped on and hit a button on the control panel making the metal railing pop up, blocking the zombies that were trying to swarm her, as the lander prepared to take off. A small explosion killed the closest zombies as the lander rose quickly into the sky, heading towards the starting room in the main building.

While sailing through the air and reloading her weapon, Isabella did something she probably shouldn't have done. She looked down and instantly regretted it, as she saw zombies spawning in every window, racing towards the building to which she was currently headed...

...

Somewhere else in Russia...

...

Thud, THUD. 

"OOF. Zack, you're crushing me!"

"What- OH!" A man with dark hair and darker eyes said quickly, as he helped the young woman he was currently sitting on to her feet. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," She said, running a hand through her blond shoulder length hair before dusting herself off a bit. "But where are we?" 

_It's like some weird little hut..._

"A better question is _who_ are you?" A voice questioned, making the two of them spin around while coming face to face with Nikolai and Takeo. 

"And..." Nikolai continued, "Do you have vodka?"

Takeo shook his head. Zack laughed. Brianna looked confused. 

"Wait- What... Oh!" The blonde woman laughed, finally realizing who these men were. Looking back at Zack she pointed to the two very confused men in front of her. "It's them!" She announced excitedly as her boyfriend nodded slowly, surprised it took her this long to make that observation. 

"But wait... Aren't there supposed to be two more?"

"You know who we are?" Takeo inquired, a bit suspicious of this whole situation.

Zack spoke up for the first time, knowing that if he let Brianna explain the situation would only get worse. "Yeah," He began, stepping forward and lowering his weapon. "You're Nikolai," He said speaking to the Russian. Turning to the Japanese soldier he continued, "And you're Takeo... Am I right?"

Takeo and Nikolai looked at each other not sure of what to make of this strange situation, as the young man introduced himself. 

"I'm Zack and this is my girlfriend Brianna..." He said, putting an arm around the blond girl before pulling her close. He offered his other free hand in the form of a friendly hand shake towards Takeo. 

"Ko Ni chi Wa."

Nikolai noticed their tattered clothes, ripped here and there, covered in blood stains. He also noted the guns they were carrying. The dark haired kid- Er, Zack. _I guess I should learn their names..._ Nikolai thought drunkenly. 

Zack was armed with what looked to be an FN FAL _._ _Badass,_ he noted. The blond girl, Brianna _-_ _Why are there so many damn kids around here lately?_ He wondered, frowning as he noticed she had the same green eyes as Isabella. _Kind of even looks like her a bit..._ He thought absentmindedly. 

"Ha je Me Ma Shi Te." Takeo replied as he shook Zack's hand."How is it that you know who we are?"

He was suspicious of these newcomers but he knew they could use all they help they could get considering where they were. Looking around he confirmed that they were indeed back in the hellish swamp known as Shi No Numa. 

 _The Comm Room to be exact..._ Takeo realized, examining the Speed Cola machine in the room that was giving off an eerie green glow. _Why have we been brought here?_ He thought, while wondering something else as well.

_And what fate has been decided for Richtofen and the foolish American?_

"It's kind of a long story..." Zack began, but was cut off by the girl who loves to interrupt people with her demonic whisper yell.

"FETCH ME THEIR SOULS!"

"I hear some angry fucking dogs..." Nikolai commented, readying his weapon as Takeo reloaded his ray gun, hoping the woman who gave it to him, as well as his other teammates, were alright. 

 _They fight with much honor... Our destinies will be intertwined once again..._ He told himself, focusing on his own survival for now.

"Fetch my grenade devil voice!" Brianna yelled as she whipped out her upgraded Galil, Lamentation.

Zack laughed but joined in, "Ooh-rah!" He shouted, readying his FN FAL which was also upgraded, making it the incredibly killer, EPC WN. Indeed it was. 

"Come get some puppies!"

...

Back at the Cosmodrome...

...

"Finally!" Tank grumbled as they approached the entrance. "I thought we were gonna be lost forever..."

"I told you ve vould make it here!" Richtofen snapped, ready to find the others and end his alone time with the American as soon as possible.  _Even Izabella is not zhis annoying..._ He realized, rubbing his temples as he heard the cars engine shut off.

After the strange teleportation that seemed to have affected them all, Richtofen and Dempsey found themselves in a town where everything was written in Russian. Luckily, the always fantastic Doctor knew a bit, or rather enough of the language to find a sign pointing west that read Космодром Байконур 18. Tank contributed by finding a Jeep, which he hot wired, and off they went killing zombies along the way.

Tank turned the keys and jumped out of the driver's seat, shutting the door behind him as Richtofen did the same.

"So this is it, huh?" He stated, pulling out his Galil. "The Baikonur Cosmodrome or whatever?"

"Ja." The doctor replied while surveying the area cautiously, "I believe zhis is vhat ve are looking for-"

The sound of a creepy child's laughter filled the air, cutting him off as a pain filled scream echoed throughout the walls in front of them, making them both sprint forward while hoping they weren't too late...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> "Ko Ni chi Wa" - "Good afternoon"  
> "Ha je Me Ma Shi Te" - "Nice to meet you"


	6. Cosmodromes and Swamps

_"Come on Bri!" Isabella begged as she gave her older sister her infamous baby kitten eyes while holding up her Xbox controller._

_Zack rolled his eyes at her and chuckled._ _"I'm down if you wanna play Bri." He said quickly, smiling at the blond girl in front of him. Brianna looked at her younger sister and her boyfriend, both of them obviously wanting to play a game judging by the looks they were giving her..._

_Always the more responsible one, Brianna sighed before placing her hands on her hips._ _"Fine..." She agreed, pointing directly at her sister before grinning. "_ _But only if we get some high levels!"_

The short memory ended as abruptly as it started as Isabella regained consciousness, standing up dizzily. She tried to move her left arm but couldn't and almost immediately doubled over in pain. 

 _Fuck! What the hell-_  

It all came rushing back to her in a second. She remembered riding the lander back to the main building and being forced to run upstairs due the amount of zombies pouring in from every direction. From there she had run through the gate on the roof, trying to get to the chalk outline on the wall where she could buy ammo for her upgraded M16, but didn't make it that far...

So many zombies were coming at her as she tried to enter the room before Speed Cola, picking off a few while dodging others, she fought her way down the stairs knowing the hole in the wall would be her only escape. She pulled out her Thundergun quickly and turned around, blasting the zombies behind her with the last shot in her weapon. Turning to jump through the hole, she realized she had missed a zombie that was behind a wall as it scratched her in the back, making her fall instead.

Isabella crashed to the ground, landing on her left shoulder as she screamed in pain while hearing the sickening crunch of bone breaking. 

 _Fuck... I'm dead..._  She thought desperately while struggling to stand. She grabbed her Skullcrusher with her good arm and ran as the zombies continued pouring out of the building behind her. 

 _Thank you Treyarch for creating Stamin-Up!_ Isabella rejoiced mentally as she made her way towards the stage, stopping now and then to turn around and slaughter the undead via decapitation. Racing up the steps, she made it to the back wall, preparing to make a stand there. 

The dark haired woman reloaded her weapon quickly before pouring the rest of her ammunition into the approaching horde. They were getting closer and closer... But then she noticed something that was hovering and glowing green... 

Taking a few steps forward, she reached out and touched it, resulting in a creepy voice.

"INSTA-KILL!"

"Hear that freakbags? You're gonna die!"

Isabella looked up and smiled as she saw Dempsey and Richtofen running towards her while taking out numerous amounts of zombies. She shot the last couple of undead around her, using up the last of her ammo, as she threw her gun to the side and leaned against the wall, gripping her left arm. Tank made his way onto the stage, killing the zombies that followed him while Richtofen ran around at the bottom of the stairs, gathering them into a group.

"Hahahahahaha! DIE!" The doctor shouted as he threw a grenade into the crowd, resulting in a large explosion of blood and flying body parts.

The amount of zombies swarming in slowed until the point where it stopped all together as the last corpse fell to the ground, silenced by Richtofen's MP40. 

 _This really hurts..._ Isabella thought, feeling a little lightheaded as she slid down the wall behind her, taking a seat on the cold concrete floor. She watched Dempsey run up to her, a look of concern on his face, as he asked the question she was dreading answering.

"What happened?!" He said in a rush, kneeling down next to her while noticing the pained expression on her face. "You okay?" Richtofen was right behind the American, as he jogged up just in time to hear her response.

"I fell out of a building." She said, feeling dumb already. "Oh, wait..." She paused, really thinking about it. "A zombie pushed me..." Isabella went on, deciding to go with that explanation while looking at the two confused men. 

"What an asshole, right?"

Tank snorted. _How the hell can she make jokes at a time like this..._

"Ve should find a safe place vere I can take a look at zhat." Richtofen advised, gesturing towards Isabella's arm.

Isabella thought for a moment before coming up with a plan. "I have an idea." She said as she held out her good arm, letting the Marine help her to her feet. 

"We should launch the rocket-"

"How is that gonna help us?!" Dempsey interrupted, as he stopped Isabella from picking up her empty air cannon, bending down himself to get it for her. She frowned, not used to having someone doing things for her but chose to let it go. It was the least of her worries at this point. 

"Well, if you had let me finish..." She began, looking at the blond man who was impatiently waiting for her to continue. She rolled her eyes. "If we launch the rocket it'll open up Pack-A-Punch..." 

Pointing to the Thundergun in Dempsey's hands, she continued. "You can upgrade that... Get full ammo for it... You know, cool stuff like that."

"Oooooh!" Richtofen squealed, "I can upgrade mein MP40! Wunderbar!"

Isabella nodded before glancing back at Dempsey, grinning and raising an eyebrow.

"Alright," Dempsey agreed, not really having a choice in the matter. "Let's..." He trailed off realizing that he didn't know how to launch the rocket, as he looked at Isabella for advice. She laughed, wincing in pain a bit from even the slightest bit of movement. 

Richtofen noticed how much her shoulder seemed to be bothering her and was a bit worried. If it was something serious she wouldn't be able to hold a gun for quite a while. She would, in all seriousness, be a disadvantage to their team. A liability that would require constant protection...

"This way..." Isabella said, leading them towards the main building's roof unaware of what, or rather who, was up there waiting for them.

...

Back in Shi No Numa...

...

"Welcome to Awesometown! Population: 1. Me." Zack bragged after silencing three hellhounds in a row with his EPC WN. 

Brianna was backed up against him, facing the other way, shooting down dogs with her upgraded Galil. She looked through the scope and grinned as she sprayed laser bullets into another hound causing it to explode in ball of flames. 

"Fetch this puppies!" She yelled while cooking a grenade and throwing it, taking out another hell dog.

"Speed Cola... Is honorable." Takeo said while grinning as he downed the fizzy drink, feeling it's effects immediately. Reloading his ray gun quickly, he unleashed deadly accuracy on the dogs, killing the majority of them before anyone else could.

"Let's all bow before the mighty Japanese warrior! Asshole." Nikolai slurred sarcastically, upset that he didn't have anything else to kill or drink at the moment.

The last dog fell to the ground, its head blown to pieces by a round from Zack's gun as he winked at Brianna, making her blush as she smiled up at him, grateful he was at her side. Everyone reloaded as he moved forward to touch the glowing box of ammunition hovering in the air.

"MAX AMMO!" A voice shouted as they looked down to find all their clips full.

The fog in the room began to dissipate as Takeo realized the sun was close to setting, bringing slight relief from the undead for another night.

"The dishonorable have been vanquished." He said calmly, taking a seat against the crates by the Speed Cola machine. It was starting to get dark out and one of the only sources of light in the room came from the eerie glow of that particular machine. 

"For now..." Nikolai said, getting comfortable as well. Leaning against the wall, he looked through his small backpack thingy searching for any type of alcohol, finding nothing until his hand grasped a glass bottle in the bottom of the bag. He pulled it out excitedly, until he realized what it was. Damn cherry vodka. Not bad but... Not very er, manly...

Shrugging he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a generous swig, while Brianna's eyes widened from across the room as she recognized the bottle he was sipping liquor from instantly.

"Where did you get that?" The blonde girl asked, speaking up while panicking slightly, fearing the Russian soldier's answer. "Have you seen a girl named Isabella by chance?" She finished quickly, waiting for the Soviet to respond.

Nikolai looked up from his drink and into the face of the young woman asking him the question, a frown returning to his features when reminded of Isabella's disappearance. As well as the absence of his other two teammates. But how did this other girl know her? That's when it hit him. 

 _They look so similar..._ He thought, putting together all the pieces of the puzzle in his drunken mind as he stared at her green eyes, reminding him of someone else with eyes like those. _They must be-_

"Isabella-san is fighting with our other comrades..." Takeo stated, interrupting Nikolai's thoughts and hoping that the demon they were fighting only separated their party into two groups. "How is it that you know her?" He finished, curious of their connection to the strange girl.

Brianna took in a deep breath, calming down a bit now that she knew her sister was alive out there... Somewhere. Trying to stay positive, she glanced at Zack who nodded at her and smiled, as she faced the two men who were waiting for answers from the newcomers before beginning to speak again.

"I'm her sister..." She started out hesitantly, "And we're not really from here..." She added, trailing off and mumbling that last part a bit.

"We were brought here as well," Zack added, speaking more confidently than the woman sitting next to him. "I don't know why... But apparently, this is our destiny."

Takeo nodded, understanding completely. Nikolai shrugged and continued drinking. Brianna sighed as the Japanese soldier and her boyfriend began chatting it up like they were best friends. Bri snuggled against Zack's shoulder as she closed her eyes, hoping that she would be reunited with her sister soon.

...

Back at the Cosmodrome...

...

Isabella, Dempsey and Richtofen were making their way up the stairs to the roof when suddenly, lights started flashing and the ground began to shake. A few mechanical beeps were heard before a monotone voice filled the speakers around them.

"Initiating launch protocol. Systems check, online."

 _What the hell?!_ Isabella thought, taking off towards the roof. Tank and the Doctor fell behind slightly, both of them wondering how it was that she could move so fast. 

"Wait up!" Dempsey shouted, sprinting as fast as he could up the stairs, trying to keep up.

"Status update, complete." The announcer continued, as the countdown began. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

Isabella rounded the corner from the stairs to the roof just in time to catch a glimpse of someone running through the gate. "Wait!" She shouted while chasing after them. "Come back!"

"Warning, launch in progress." 

The rocket began to take off, making the ground tremble beneath them and filling the air with clouds of smoke and dust, as Isabella pursued this mystery man all the way down the steps to Pack-A-Punch easily with the aid of Stamin-Up. 

 _Favorite perk ever..._ She thought with a grin as she closed in on who she was chasing.

"Hey!" Isabella shouted, only a few steps behind him. "Wait up!"

He must not have known how close she was because he jumped while simultaneously turning around in shock, causing him to trip over his own feet.

"Aaagghgghdddajkgljdff!" He yelped, falling and rolling multiple times before crashing and burning a final time in a tangled heap. Sliding to a stop at the bottom of the hill near where the box was currently located, he felt around on the ground for his weapon as Isabella jogged up to see if he was alright.

"You okay?" She said quickly, concerned for the stranger. "That was quite the fall-" 

Isabella stopped, as she yet again, had a gun in her face.  _What the fucking fucks?! Why me?_ She thought, genuinely irritated.

"Don't come any closer!" The young man panicked, backing away as the hands he was holding his gun with shook a bit.

"Wait! I'm not your enemy!" She said, waving her good hand in what she hoped was a non-offensive gesture. Richtofen and Dempsey had finally caught up and wasted no time in pointing their guns at the, now very scared, young boy who had threatened their teammate.

"Better drop your weapon now boy." Dempsey growled at the dark haired male in front of him, Galil at the ready.

"Ja," Richtofen joined in, chuckling and aiming his sniper rifle at the man's head. "You vouldn't vant mein finger to slip on zhis vould you?"

"Just lower your weapon..." Isabella said calmly as she tried to reason with him. "We don't want to fight you." She looked him over, seeing through his dark messy hair and noticing his eyes right away. A bright blue that reminded her of a certain Marine...

"And you don't want to fight them..." She added, gesturing behind her while shrugging, only guessing how angry they both looked at the moment. He looked up at her suddenly, interrupting her thoughts and meeting her gaze while lowering his MP5K. The other two men lowered their weapons as well, still looking a little agitated, as the stranger cleared his throat.

"So eh, sorry for the bad first impression..." He said, scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously. "I'm Johnny," He coughed, clearing his throat again and continuing in a deeper voice than before. "Johnny De Luca."

"Well that's great and all..." Isabella said, truly not expecting this turn of events. "But what the hell are you doing here?"

Johnny frowned, obviously confused by her question. "Uh, I live in a town not too far from here..." He explained, pointing towards the main entrance. "I really only come here to get guns and supplies to bring back."

"Have you seen anyone else here? A blond girl... About my height?" She questioned, getting her hopes up once more only to be let down again.

"The only fine lady I've seen around here is _you_..." Johnny answered with a smile before sending Isabella a flirtatious wink.

"Tch, whatever..." Isabella rolled her eyes before stomping off towards Pack-A-Punch, not casting the younger man another glance as Dempsey and Richtofen followed suit.

 _Denied!_ Dempsey thought, laughing to himself as he watched Isabella walking in front of him. He chuckled a bit, grinning as he remembered he was going to pack a punch his Galil. _Ooh-Rah! It's gonna be awesome!_

Johnny sprinted to catch up, a worried look appearing on his pale face at the thought of being left behind for zombies to munch on. 

"Hey wait for me guys!"


	7. Wafflesundaes

Brianna awoke with a gasp, relaxing as soon as she felt Zack beside her. 

"Shh," He said, throwing an arm around her small frame. "It was just a dream." 

She yawned and leaned against him, not wanting to go back to sleep right away after the terrible nightmare she just had...

Looking around she noticed the Japanese soldier and the drunk Russian napping against the walls on the opposite side of the small hut they were in. The dark blue sky showing through the boarded up windows was beginning to get lighter, indicating they had only a few hours at best before dawn.

"So," Brianna began, looking towards Zack. "What's our plan?"

"As far as what?" He said, looking at her while raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we have to get back to-"

"No."

"What?" She whispered outraged, eyes going wide.

Zack just shook his head and sighed before continuing, "How do we even know that's where they are?"

Brianna thought about it for a moment before answering. She sighed, looking at Zack pleadingly. "I know that's where she is," The blonde said as though it were a fact. "I just have this feeling... I know I'm right, please Zack..." She gripped his hand in her own. 

"We have to go back."

He frowned while looking down, thinking the situation over while refusing to look her way. _We were damn lucky as it was to be teleported here when we were..._ He thought, remembering the predicament they were in prior to this...

_They were running low on ammo and literally running for their lives as they raced around the stage in a circle, drawing zombies into hordes and saving their ammunition for getting head shots. Zack had cooked a grenade and thrown it into an oncoming crowd, blowing them all apart and creating some crawlers, trying to buy them some time... But they just kept coming._

_Non-stop waves of the undead poured in as laughter could be heard in the skies. Brianna held them off at the stairs with her Lamentation as Zack pressed buttons on the control panel, effectively calling the lander to their location._

_"Zack!" Brianna shouted, a panicked tone to her voice, "I'm out!" She began retreating towards the back wall as he pulled out his EPC WN and began getting head shots like a boss. They could hear the lander approaching in the distance but there were so many zombies, the ammo in Zack's gun didn't last for long. In a desperate last attempt at survival, they both pulled out their pistols and began firing into the mass of undead closing in on them._

_There were just too many coming at once and the pistols were so weak compared to the upgraded weapons they had been using, they were surrounded quickly as the zombies prepared for a feast. A second before they were about to be devoured by the undead, the sound of a nuke exploding could be heard as all the zombies around them burst into flames. The world around them flashed to white as a demonic voice could be heard giggling._

_"HERE'S YOUR SECOND CHANCE!" It finished in a hoarse whisper, as the couple felt the world slip from beneath their feet._

_Then we ended up here..._ He thought, extremely confused by Samantha's actions. He was brought out of his thoughts by Brianna tugging on his hand that she currently held. 

"Are you even listening to me Zack?!" She hissed, sounding somewhat upset at his lack of attention towards her.

"Sorry Bri," He said, really meaning it and hoping that she knew he was being honest. "I'm just thinking about what happened before we were sent here? Ya know?" He looked at her seriously, before continuing. "We could have died there..."

Brianna opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. 

"We can't help her if we're dead." He said quickly, tensing and fearing how she might react. Luckily, she didn't do what he thought might happen and do something like stomp away or slap him in the face... or worse. She sighed and leaned against him while thinking it over. 

 _He's right..._  She thought, not really wanting to admit it.  _We can't rush into this or we'll never save her... And none of us will survive..._

Gripping her boyfriend's hand tighter for support, she snuggled against him again, trying to rest for the remainder of time they had left before morning brought a new day of war against the undead.

...

Back at the lovely Cosmodrome...

...

"Useless asshole..." Isabella mumbled to herself while frowning, as she kicked a rock out of her way violently. 

Finally she reached the entrance to Pack-A-Punch, hearing Dempsey and Richtofen walking a few feet behind her as she spotted the all too familiar machine up ahead.

She walked up to the strange device, leaning against the side of it, as she watched the gears inside alienize their various weapons. The doctor's MP40 became the Afterburner, the Thundergun became the Zeus Cannon, and lastly, Isabella threw in her extra CZ75, upgrading it to become Calamity.

 _At least it's not my right arm that's messed up..._ She thought while smiling, feeling lucky despite the predicament she was in.

They all reloaded their weapons as Johnny ran up, nearly out of breath, skidding to a stop right in front of the machine. Literally throwing his MP5K in the machine, he gasped as a loud crunching sound was heard and sparks began to fly from the device. 

Suddenly, like a box that was disappearing, the machine started to shake and rise into the air as Samantha's demonic laughter could be heard. 

"BYE BYE FOR NOW!" She whispered before laughing again and fading away.

"My gun!" Johnny whined, panicking as Isabella placed a hand over her face. 

_Is this guy for real?_

"Oh! Good job kid!" Dempsey shouted angrily, "Ya fuckin' broke it! I didn't even get to upgrade my Galil!"

Isabella's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Tank," She said, sounding very tired and looking at him pleadingly. "Give him the shotgun please."

He frowned instantly. "Hey! It's not my fault he's a dumbas-"

"Just do it please!" She shouted impatiently, as Johnny smiled in her direction, stepping a bit closer to her and pissing Dempsey off even more. Isabella noticed this and frowned. 

 _The things I have to deal with..._ She thought, looking at the two men before feeling very, very tired all of a sudden. 

Reluctantly, the Marine reached behind him, pulling The Stakeout off his back and tossing it to the younger man roughly. Zack turned towards the young woman with a goofy grin on his face. 

"Thanks sweethea-"

"Shut up." Isabella said harshly, cutting him off. "The only reason you get a weapon is so you don't die or get in our way." With that, she turned away, focusing her attention on reloading her weapon, leaving Johnny with a surprised/depressed expression on his face at being told off.

The doctor laughed his insane laugh. _Zhis girl..._  He thought while smiling faintly.  _Alvays full of surprises..._

That smile disappeared however when he noticed how pale she was. _Of course..._  He thought, frowning and looking back towards the American solider who was laughing at the younger man.  _Ze American vould be too busy to notice-_

Thud.

Everyone spun around to find Isabella face down on the floor. Oops. Richtofen being the closest rushed over, turning her over and breathing out a sigh of relief as she blinked a few times and began to wake up. 

"Nooooooo..." She whined, rolling back over and closing her eyes again. "Five more minutes..." 

The doctor frowned, feeling a headache coming on. _Zhe things I must deal vith..._  He thought in irritation, hearing the sound of boards being ripped down and the moans of the undead in the distance. They needed a plan. 

"American," He said to Dempsey, getting his attention and pointing to Isabella. "Carry her."

Tank nodded and scooped her up, surprised by how light she was as he heard Richtofen telling Johnny to guard their rear. "I vill lead ze vay vith zhis..." He finished grinning and holding up the Zeus Cannon. 

 _When did he grab that?_ Dempsey wondered, frowning intensely. _Sneaky bastard..._  

Isabella stirred, waking up for another minute and snapping him out of his thoughts, something she just loved to do all the time.

"Dempsey...?" She half yawned/ half mumbled in the cutest way, making his heart melt as she leaned her head against his chest before passing out again. 

 _Dammit..._  Tank cursed, feeling his heart beat faster and his face heat up a bit. _Now is not the time to be distracted by-_

"Move out!" Richtofen shouted, blasting the first wave of zombies into the surrounding walls while laughing hysterically. The growls and screams of the undead were becoming louder as they made their way up the stairs towards Speed Cola and the lander near the sickle. A large group was approaching as the doctor fired another blast of air into them, sending them sailing in every direction. 

"Fly children! FLY!" He shouted while laughing insanely and blasting more out of the way.

Johnny took out zombies that got too close from behind with blasts from the shotgun as they made their way past the gateway to the lander. Richtofen ran up to the computer console, calling the lander just in case they needed an emergency escape route as Johnny's shrill voice was heard over the cries of hungry zombies.

"I'm out of ammo!" He screamed, running back to where the two soldiers were standing. Dempsey shook his head as Richtofen ran forward, using the air cannon to hold of the hordes momentarily...

"Please... Help me!" A disembodied voice whispered, "She's coming! The mechanism must be repaired!"

 _What the fuck..._  Dempsey thought as he turned around trying to locate the sound of the voice but finding nothing. _Uhh, is it just me or did anyone else hear a voice?... And what device-_

Isabella stirred, waking up slightly. "Gersch..." She mumbled, still half asleep. "...The mystery box..."

"What...?" Dempsey asked, now very confused. He shook her a bit, trying to get her to wake up. "What are you talking about?!" He shouted, still unable to fully wake her. 

"...Wafflesundaes..." Isabella trailed off before smiling in her sleep. 

 _Must be fuckin' nice!_ He thought, annoyed that she was having happy dreams about waffle sundaes while he was stuck here in the real world worrying about their survival.

Johnny screamed as zombies breached the window he was guarding by the lander control panel. He wasn't very good with the pistol so it didn't take long before he was overwhelmed as they started pouring in fast in bunches of two and three. The lander descended and refueled as everyone made their way towards it. 

Johnny ran forward first, standing in front of the control panel on the lander, hand above the button, ready to take off. The panic on his face was evident as he lowered his hand toward the button to launch...

"Press that fuckin' button and see what happens kid!" Dempsey shouted as he stomped over, standing next to the frightened boy and practically towering over him. Johnny withdrew his hand immediately while backing up a bit, very afraid of the Marine in front of him. 

"Doc!" Dempsey shouted, casting one last angry look towards the dark haired boy, "Let's move!"

Richtofen ran back to the lander followed closely by a large group of zombies as he turned around a final time, firing the last round from the cannon into the crowd and effectively clearing the room. He stepped onto the lander quickly as Dempsey pressed the button, metal bars rising around them as the lander began to launch. Rising into the air, the lander flew towards the home base or centrifuge. 

As they approached the main building they could see that zombies had stopped pouring in the windows for now. There were just a few roaming around that needed to be put down, then they would be able to rest for a little bit.

Dempsey and Richtofen were too busy looking away at the ground and thinking to themselves to notice the murderous red eyes that were watching them through messy black bangs.

 _"Just be patient..."_ Sam hissed, using her power to spread her influence and paranoia across the younger man's thoughts as he struggled to fight her.

_"You'll be the one who's laughing soon enough..."_


	8. Call 911 Now

Isabella awoke to the cool wind rushing through her hair as she opened her eyes and saw the ground moving far below her. 

"Shit!" She gasped, jumping and clinging to the closest thing to her which in this case was Dempsey. 

 _What the hell happened?!_ She thought, very confused as she realized he was carrying her. _The last thing I remember is being down in Pack-A-Punch... How the hell did I get on this lander?_

"Nice of you to wake up." Dempsey said sarcastically as Isabella looked up at him. "Did ya have some nice dreams while I was busy savin' your ass?"

"Well then, you saved me... Huh?" She replied before yawning. "I guess we're even now."

"What?!" Dempsey grunted, slightly surprised as he helped her down and let her stand on her own. "How the hell was I in debt to you in the first place?"

"When I met you all," She said while calmly stretching, a hint of a smile on her face. "You wouldn't have lasted very long without me..."

"That's not true!" Dempsey replied, slightly irritated now at her accusations. "We-"

"Were out of ammo and completely surrounded?" Isabella supplied quickly, grinning at the pissed off look he had on his face as she interrupted him. 

"Like I said," She continued in a playful tone of her own. "If I hadn't come along with my ray gun, who knows what would have happened..." The dark haired woman finished, smiling and shrugging despite the pain she felt in her shoulder.

Dempsey frowned as he opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the loud sounds of the lander descending into the Centrifuge Room. Reaching the bottom floor, the lander docked and began refueling as the metal railings dropped down and it's occupants stepped out, guns at the ready. Trivial arguments would have to wait for now. The thing on everyone's mind was survival...

Several zombies rushed in from the stairs to the right as Richtofen blew their heads apart with laser bullets from his Afterburner, blood splattering everywhere across the previously clean white floor. 

"Now you die!... Again!" He shouted while laughing as he silenced more undead that were headed their way. 

Isabella pulled out Calamity which was thankfully, still holstered on her hip. Watching as more zombies swarmed in the windows, she noticed the doctor was close to being overwhelmed as more started coming in through the door leading to Juggernog.

"No touchy zhe doctor!" Richtofen shouted as he knifed a zombie in the skull that had gotten too close. "Unless he asks..." He finished, laughing hysterically and reloading his weapon to continue slaughtering his creations. 

Dempsey and Isabella looked at each other, each of them nodding once before turning and taking their respective positions. Tank covered the bottom door, taking out zombies from that side of the room with his Galil, while Isabella moved to assist the doctor by covering the window in the back while he watched the stairs and the bottom window under them. In a matter of minutes not only had they taken the room back from the dead, but they were beginning to drive them back.

"Whoa, I didn't know I was that good," Tank said, bragging as he took out an entire crowd that was pouring through the door with a single clip. "Oh wait, yeah I did!" He finished laughing, while casting a curious glance back at the kid they had just recently met. He hadn't moved since they landed and was currently just standing there looking at his feet. 

 _A lot of help he's been..._  Tank thought, while turning back around to focus on the battle at hand.

Johnny was looking down at the pistol in his hands, his dark bangs covering his sinister red eyes and making his motives hidden to those around him. 

 _"What are you waiting for?"_ The voice in his head hissed as he looked up momentarily in the direction of Isabella who was still covering her window with her back to him, totally unaware of his murderous thoughts. 

 _"Kill them all..."_ Samantha whispered as though it was a threat. _"Or you will be the next to die..."_  

 _No... No no no... NO!_ Johnny closed his eyes and covered his ears with both hands, hating the sound of that goddamn child's demonic laughter. It was slowly driving him insane...

Suddenly a high pitched alarm started going off as steam shot out of the bottom of the Centrifuge. Isabella knew what was happening but everyone else was confused. 

"Vhat is zhat?" Richtofen shouted, not taking his eyes away from the horde of zombies rushing down the stairs towards him.

"Everyone jump under this thing!" She said while diving under and moving back.

"Are you-"

"Just fucking trust me!" She said in a rush. "Hurry!"

The two men turned and dove under just in time as the heavy metal arm began to spin around extremely fast. The remaining zombies dumbly rushed forward and were instantly taken out by the space machinery. 

"Hahaha! Told you!" Isabella laughed, grinning and looking towards the doctor. For once however, Richtofen did not smile back at the girl. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts about the matter. 

_How is it zhat she knows about all zhis..._

"Help me!" Johnny screamed, making everyone look in the direction of the lander. He was backed into a corner with a small group of zombies surrounding him and closing in quickly. Pulling out his Python, he fired wildly into the crowd until he was out of ammo, only killing about three of them as the rest prepared for a tasty meal...

Suddenly he heard gunfire and the two undead about to grab him fell to the ground, now headless. The rest coming his way followed suit quickly, hitting the floor with a thud as the doctor, Dempsey and Isabella got to their feet now that the Centrifuge had stopped spinning. 

Isabella turned and shot the last zombie in the face before it even had a chance to get through the window. 

"Isabella Valentine! Kickin' ass and making messes!" She shouted laughing and twirling her gun around in her hand before holstering it back on her hip and taking a seat on the ground, thoroughly exhausted.

"Ja," Richtofen agreed, moving to examine her shoulder now that they were safe for the time being. "Making messes... Zhat is true." He shook his head a bit as he placed his hands on her collarbone delicately, noticing how she flinched away at even the small amount of pressure he applied. 

"Ouch, that hurts." Isabella commented with a frown, struggling to pull away with no success. The doctor was growing rather tired of her childish antics. 

"Sit still!" Richtofen said harshly, making her jump as she immediately did what she was told. After about another minute of examining her shoulder he withdrew and sighed heavily, looking at the small woman seated in front of him.

"Well...?" She said, looking up at him questioningly, a large smile suddenly appearing on her face. "Am I gonna be able to play in the big game coach?"

Dempsey snorted behind her, trying not to laugh, but the look of confusion on Richtofen's face was priceless. 

The doctor continued, ignoring the Marine. "Zhis is no laughing matter." He said seriously as Johnny approached the small group, catching bits of the conversation they were currently having. 

"A mild fracture like zhis may take veeks to heal-"

"I can help." Johnny said suddenly, surprising everyone, even himself. He pulled a small metal case out of his front pocket shakily and handed it to Richtofen who was frowning slightly at being interrupted. The doctor's eyes widened considerably however when he realized exactly what it was he was holding. 

"Wunderbar!" He exclaimed, opening the case up to reveal that they had seven of these gems of medical science. Pulling one out, he removed the plastic cap so the tip of the needle was showing as he approached Isabella, who had a very uncomfortable look on her face as the doctor came closer, needle in hand and a smile on his face.

"Relax..." Dempsey said, putting a hand on her good shoulder from behind her, as she turned to look at him. He smiled at her and winked before continuing, "You won't feel a-"

"Zhere." The doctor interrupted, taking Isabella by surprise. "Zhat vasn't so bad vas it?" 

 _I can't believe I didn't feel any pain..._ She thought, truly amazed at the doctor's skill with a needle. She smiled as she felt whatever was in the syringe healing her broken clavicle. The area near the injection felt warm for a second then, the pain was gone. 

Isabella blinked a few times, extended her arm, waved it around a little while looking at it, truly amazed. No pain. It was completely normal.

Standing up quickly, she smiled at Johnny. "Thanks!" She said while stretching both arms above her. "I owe you one." Bending backwards she took all three men by surprise when she flipped over, doing a handstand while laughing. 

"Woohoooo~" She sang, pushing off the ground with her hands and snapping back up to a standing position in one swift movement. All the while giggling at her ability to use her left arm again. Dempsey chuckled at the woman in front of him before noticing that Johnny kid didn't look too good...

"I believe zhis is yours." Richtofen said while raising an eyebrow, interrupting her gymnastics routine and handing her the Zeus Cannon. She took it with a smile, checking to see that they were only about six shots left. 

 _We really need to find a max ammo soon..._ She realized before another thought instantly crossed her mind.  _I wonder when the monkeys are going to show up..._

Just then, alarms began going off all around them as Johnny grabbed the side of his head desperately while falling to his knees. "Aaaaaah!" He screamed in pain, while covering his ears. 

"Please..." He begged the voices in his head as he began to shake. "I'm sorry! Don't kill me!" Isabella rushed over and knelt beside him as she heard him apologizing over and over again to someone while clutching his head. 

"I'm sorry Samantha... I'm sorry..."

_What the fu-_

Isabella thought but was cut off by a male voice heard over the loud speakers.

 "Warning. Pre-entry detected. All security personnel on high alert."

...

Back in Shi No Numa...

...

"I've got it!" Zack said suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "It's a long shot but it might work..." He continued standing up from his seat next to Brianna, against the wall. 

Their small group of four was still in the Communications Room, waiting for the moment when they would once again have to defend themselves against the armies of the undead. He walked over to the telephone in the room and took it off the hook, raising it to his ear slowly. A dial tone. 

 _It actually works!_ He thought excitedly as he dialed, 9-1-1...

Ringing. 

 _The phone is actually ringing!_ His eyes widened in shock, making the others watch him in anticipation of what was going to happen and who might be on the other side of the line.

"Hello?" A male voice said with a slight Boston accent. "Who is this?" Zack could hear gunfire and shouting in the background.

"Holy shit!" Zack shouted, amazed that his idea actually worked, "I did it! I've got someone on the line!" Nikolai, Takeo and Brianna stood up and walked over as Zack held the phone out so everyone could hear the conversation.

"This is President of the United States, John F. Kennedy," The man on the phone shouted, "And I demand to know who I'm speaking to!"

"Oh, hello Mr. President," Zack said getting nervous as he paled a bit, "This is um, Zackary Watusa... Uh..." Zack trailed off, not really knowing what to say as Nikolai grabbed the phone out of his hand, getting an idea quickly.

"Surely the leader of such great country like USA would have vodka to offer for my servic-" 

Takeo snatched the phone out of his hands before he could say anymore. "Konichiwa, and I apologize for him Mr. President," Takeo said quickly, glaring at Nikolai all the while who was frowning back intensely, ready to grab the phone back. 

"Takeo Misaki at your service."

"Takeo Misaki, eh?" Kennedy said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "And the drunk one with you is Nikolai Belenski, right?"

"That is correct, sir. We-" Takeo stopped as he heard more yelling and gunfire over the phone. It was becoming louder. 

A man in the background shouted, "Mr. President! We need to evacuate now!" Another man with a Cuban accent was yelling about needing ammunition, as a loud explosion was heard.

"Russia!" Kennedy shouted, but his voice was breaking up as static cut off most of what he was trying to tell them. "Go to the Cosmodrome! To contac- ... -red teleph-... sss... There's a teleporter there in- ... " The line went dead, finally cutting them off as Zack hung up the phone, now a bit depressed as everyone in the room remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"Well," Brianna said, looking up at Zack with a smile. "Looks like we're going back."


	9. Holy Undead Space Monkeys!

Zack frowned at his girlfriend, not looking amused at all after hearing her little joke. Brianna however, was excited at the chance to finally be reunited with her sister. 

 _It's been weeks since we've spoken..._  She thought sadly, getting a bit choked up as she absentmindedly played with a strand of her blonde hair. _I've never been away from her for that long..._

Zack sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win this one. "I guess it can't be helped..." He said to Brianna while turning to look at Nikolai and Takeo. 

"You guys ready for a road trip?" 

Takeo nodded his head in agreement, knowing that it would be unwise to stay where they were currently located. _They don't call it Shi No Numa for nothing..._ Just as the Japanese soldier finished that thought, everyone froze as the sound of boards being torn down was heard all around them.

"Dead flesh, you will not touch the living!" Takeo shouted as he ran to the window and began knifing zombies before they could break through. 

Nikolai reloaded his MP40, but noticed the chalk outline of another gun on the wall. Walking up to it, he grabbed the STG-44 and went to cover the other window in the room, leaving the front door for Brianna and Zack. 

Readying her Lamentation, Brianna looked down the scope and fired at the first undead solider that stumbled through the door, popping it's head with a few bullets. It hit the floor instantly as Zack sent three more undead to their deaths again with rounds from his EPC WN.

As the minutes ticked by the zombies started pouring in with more force, causing the small group to began getting slightly overwhelmed... 

Takeo had resorted to pulling out his ray gun after his window was breached by a small horde. He blasted his way through them, seeing that Nikolai was about to get swarmed as well. _These dishonorable creatures will not quit!_ The Japanese soldier thought, desperately trying to formulate a plan of escape.

"Reloading!" Brianna shouted over the moans of the undead and the constant gun fire. Zack pulled the pin out of a grenade and whipped it through the doorway, sending zombie chunks and blood flying everywhere as a large explosion rocked the front of the hut. 

After the dust and smoke cleared however, Brianna could make out something glowing and hovering in the air. Taking a few steps forward, she extended her arm, the tip of her finger touching the ghostly icon of a hammer. 

The power up disappeared instantly, followed by a sinister voice that screamed, "CARPENTER!" as all the boards that were previously torn down by the undead were magically nailed back into place.

Takeo ran up to them both, followed by Nikolai as they killed any crawlers that were left from the explosion. 

"We need to move!" Nikolai stated as the group heard the zombies piling up at the windows, tearing the boards down once again in an attempt to get in. 

"This way, quickly!" Takeo yelled, motioning for the rest of them to follow him. Brianna and Zack ran behind him with Nikolai bringing up the rear. They made their way out of the Comm Room, running towards The Flogger as Zack shouted to the Imperial. 

"Where are we going?" He said while quick scoping and blowing a zombies head off. 

"The Doctor's Quarter's!" Takeo yelled over the sound of gun fire coming from Nikolai as he took out a small bunch that was following them. "Go!" He shouted, nodding at Nikolai as they approached the large wooden trap known as The Flogger. "I'll catch up!"

Zack, Brianna and Nikolai ran past the wooden structure while Takeo stayed behind, positioned at the large red switch that made it work. Waiting until the last moment, when the zombies were piled up and close enough, he activated the trap and watched momentarily as the undead were caught by the swinging contraption and flung across the swamp.

 _Such impressive Japanese design..._  He thought before running as more undead began to gather on the path ahead. Blasting through them with his ray gun, he sprinted forward and caught up with the others just as they reached the door to the Doctor's Hut.

Kicking in the door, Nikolai was the first inside as he spotted the mystery box. _Oh fuck yes!_  He thought while grinning madly. _No creepy monkeys for Nikolai this time..._

Approaching the box, he flipped the lid open as odd music began to play and different weapons changed before his eyes. Slowing down, it finally stopped on an M2 Flamethrower. Smiling, the Russian took it from the box and went to guard the door. 

"I like this weapon almost as much as I like vodka!" Nikolai shouted happily as he blasted the first wave of undead with an intense stream of fire. 

Brianna covered one window while Takeo took the other, using up the last of his ray gun ammo to hold the undead Imperial soldiers back as Zack threw his empty EPC WN aside and gambled for something better.

Zack flipped the lid of the box open, resulting in the same music and rotating weapons until he was rewarded with... a Molotov Cocktail. 

 _Are you fucking serious?_ He thought, incredibly frustrated as he grabbed the bottle and lit the end on fire before throwing it into Brianna's window. 

"Hey!" She yelled with a frown, as her dark haired lover smirked. 

"What?" He said, trying to play innocent. "I thought you might have wanted some help..." He finished while grinning but stopped when he heard her gun click. 

"Fuck," Brianna cursed desperately, searching her bag for another clip, but every one was empty. "I'm out!" She yelled to Nikolai and Takeo as she ran for the box, hoping for something better than a shitty Molotov Cocktail.

All sorts of different guns flashed in front of her eyes before settling on something that made her grin wickedly as she turned to look at her boyfriend who had a shocked/outraged expression on his face. 

"No fair." He said, frowning and crossing his arms as he watched her grab the Wunderwaffe DG-2 from the box. 

 _I can't believe I get to use this thing in real life!_  Brianna thought excitedly, watching the bulbs on the side of the gun light up as she fired it into the window she was guarding. The lightning bolt electrocuted five zombies instantly, frying their brains and causing some of their heads to explode.

"So. Awesome." Brianna stated, grinning as Takeo ran up to gamble on the box. Zack moved to cover the Japanese soldier's window as he threw another Molotov and pulled out his is pistol. Loading it in one swift motion, he looked at the bullet chamber on his Python before clicking it shut. 

"Six bullets. Six dead zombies!" He smiled as he raised his arm, sending one bullet through a zombies skull, instantly killing it as other zombies just stumbled over the body, intent on feasting on the living.

"This thing needs more ammo!" Nikolai yelled from the front of the room, retreating slightly before blasting the oncoming army of undead one last time as the Flamethrower clicked and died. "And I need more vodka!" He continued while backing up to the window Zack and Brianna were holding down, pulling out his pistol as a last resort. 

"For the Emporer!" Takeo shouted as he unleashed a flood of bullets from his new found Browning M1919 on the zombies pouring in through the door. 

Trying to gamble one last time, the Russian soldier was unsuccessful as a demented blood soaked teddy bear rose from the box followed by Samantha's creepy laughter. Raising his pistol angrily, he fired a round straight through the stuffed animals head, sending fluff flying through the air. 

"In Russia, I kill bear ten times your size!" Nikolai frowned, watching the bear rise into the air until it was out of sight as the box started to hover as well before disappearing in a flash.

The sound of a large explosion could be heard as the others looked towards the door where Takeo was standing, watching as a mini nuke went off making all the zombies around them spontaneously combust as a demonic voice whispered/yelled. 

"KA-BOOM!"

Moving quickly, Takeo reloaded his Browning while making his way towards a wall in the back of the hut that, to any other normal person, would just seem to be an ordinary wall. Ripping a grenade from his belt, he tossed it towards the spot on the wall that Richtofen had told him about some time ago and covered his ears, preparing for the blast. The grenade exploded, sending bits of debris flying as the wall toppled over, mostly destroyed. 

Everyone watched as Takeo walked over and kicked the frail wooden boards that remained, knocking them down to reveal a hidden room with something inside that was glowing blue. The Japanese soldier stepped inside cautiously, followed by Nikolai and finally Zack and Brianna who gasped at the large teleporter which was taking up most of the space in the small area. 

Walking over to a filing cabinet, the Imperial began looking though papers hurriedly until he had finally found the one he was looking for. Running back to the teleporter, he began pushing buttons and entering coordinates to their next destination...

Nikolai stepped inside the strange device warily, watching his comrade with curiosity. 

"I thought crazy Nazi was the only one who knew this stuff..." He said looking around and feeling slightly overwhelmed at all the buttons and switches surrounding them. "Why'd he tell you?" 

Takeo paused for a moment, chuckling a bit before continuing. "You think the honorable doctor would leave this up to you or the American?" He laughed as Nikolai frowned but shrugged it off after a moment. All he really cared about was getting more vodka wherever they were headed. 

The Russian huffed as Brianna and Zack rushed into the teleporter. 

"Are you sure you-"

Just as the undead soldiers began pouring into the hidden room, Takeo slammed the launch button, making the teleporter activate with a flash as the four zombie slayers made their escape.

...

Back at the Cosmodrome...

...

"Warning. Pre-entry detected. All security personnel on high alert."

"Hey!" Isabella said, grabbing Johnny's arm roughly and shaking him in an attempt to wake him from the trance like state he was in. He was still muttering to himself, apologizing to Samantha and begging her not to kill him as Isabella began to hear the sounds of small spaceships crashing into the ground outside. 

"Pull your shit together Johnny!" Isabella yelled as she slapped him across the face hard, watching as he blinked a few times while looking at her with a shocked expression. 

"This is no time to be falling apart mentally!" She added, her voice a bit softer this time while not breaking eye contact with the blue eyed man. Looking down and noticing her hand was still on his shoulder, she removed it quickly before helping him stand up.

"Holy undead space monkeys!" Dempsey shouted as three small monkeys raced towards them screeching and barring their teeth, each one wearing a tiny monkey space suit. 

Isabella turned around and fired her cannon, sending all three rolling backwards. Another blast from her gun killed them as they disappeared in tiny bursts of red. 

 _Oh no..._  She thought while panicking, remembering exactly what happens during a monkey round. _They're going to go for the perks I have... SHIT!_ Her eyes widened at the thought of losing her favorite one. 

"Not my Stamin-Up!" Isabella cried, getting everyone's attention as she raced out of the room and up the stairs leading to her beloved perk machine. Richtofen ran after her, MP40 in hand as Johnny stood near the American soldier, looking at them run away and back at him, confused as to what to do.

"Hey!" Dempsey yelled to his two retreating comrades as two more undead monkeys ran through the bottom door. "Where ya going?!" 

 _Don't leave me with this kid..._  He thought miserably as he focused on fighting. 

Blasting the zombified chimps with his Galil, one exploded in a flash of red as the other one got close enough to jump up and slam the ground beneath it, creating a mini earthquake that knocked both men to the ground. 

 _What the fuck?!_  Dempsey thought as he struggled to get to his feet again quickly, hearing the monkey screech angrily as it beat its chest, taunting him. _Strong little bastards..._  He realized, aiming his gun again and taking out the other one. 

"Oorah! I'm sending you back to space monkey bones!"

Hearing a screech behind him, Johnny turned and saw another monkey about to jump and slam the ground again. But this time he had an idea. 

Right when the undead primate was about to hit the ground, Johnny jumped avoiding any damage as the monkey screeched in anger and beat its chest, preparing to attack again. It didn't have a chance however as the younger male raised his pistol and fired, blowing a large hole in the monkey, practically decimating it. 

Dempsey nodded to him as they listened for the sound of any more approaching monkeys. When the coast was clear they moved up the steps and towards Stamin-Up...

...

Not too far ahead...

...

"NOOOOO!" Isabella whined while running as fast as she could, which was pretty fast with the aid of her perk, which was still intact... For the moment. 

Ahead of her she could see a group of monkeys racing towards the glowing machine in the distance. Sparing a glance behind her, she saw the doctor sprinting while trying his best to catch up. Smiling at his efforts, she looked forward again and aimed her Zeus Cannon at the machine the monkeys had almost reached. 

Right as they were about to jump on Isabella fired, sending them flying into the wall instead and stunning them momentarily. Screeching and hissing, two undead monkeys ran at her for a second before being destroyed by a blast of element 115 infused air from her wonder weapon. Two more began attacking the perk machine, slamming the sides of it with their tiny fists as Isabella struggled to reload quickly. 

 _No, no, no..._ Isabella panicked as she watched sparks start to fly from the machine. 

Suddenly, the monkey on the left side of the machine exploded in a red flash as laser bullets connected with its face. Isabella turned around to see the doctor a few feet behind her, Afterburner raised and at the ready while grinning and trying to catch his breath.

She watched him turn and fire more bullets into another undead space monkey that was coming through the door, a smile still on his face as he silenced it quickly. Isabella was too caught up watching the crazed doctor to notice she had forgotten about one monkey in front of her. It slammed the ground next to her, causing her to shout in surprise while simultaneously falling to the ground as the creature screeched and barred its fangs while jumping towards her face...

A bright burst of red and a loud gunshot was all she saw and heard before she felt strong hands haul her to her feet. Feeling a bit disoriented she stumbled back before being caught again and pulled closer, this time against a very firm chest. 

"Are you alright?" A familiar German voice asked. 

Looking up and blinking slowly while trying to clear the black dots from her vision, she was met with a glimpse of green eyes and strangely enough, a look of concern. Isabella felt her face heat up at how close they were standing as she looked down and took a step back, the doctor eyeing her with an unreadable expression. 

Removing his hands from her shoulders, Richtofen went to pick up his sniper rifle when a smaller hand caught his in the process. He looked up into the vibrant jade orbs that mirrored his own as she gave his fingers a light squeeze. 

"Thank you." She said, letting out a sigh of relief just as Dempsey and Johnny rushed through the door.

 _What the hell?!_ Dempsey thought, thoroughly confused while looking at the Nazi doctor and Isabella holding hands as they quickly pulled away from each other. _The fuck did I miss..._  He thought angrily, frowning and sending a glare in the direction of said man.

Isabella grabbed her cannon off the ground, realizing she only had two rounds left. _Fuck, not good..._  She thought but then almost slapped herself for her stupidity and short attention span.

Walking over to the door Johnny and Dempsey came from she listened carefully, motioning for the others to do the same as they all waited, hearing a screeching that was growing louder and obviously getting closer. 

Isabella readied her cannon as the tiny chimp raced around the corner, not even having a chance as she fired one shot which knocked it against the wall as Dempsey unloaded on it with his Galil, finishing it quickly. 

"Reload if you've still got ammo." Isabella said over her shoulder, stepping towards the power up hovering against the wall. 

Various confirmations were heard before she reached out and touched it. A demonic voice shouted, "MAX AMMO!" as they all looked down to find the clips on their waists were magically filled with more ammunition. The alarms stopped going off as a voice was heard over the loud speakers again.

"Security level normalized. System defenses online."

"Zheir little heads vill go... BOOM!~" Richtofen sang as he fully reloaded his Afterburner with a sadistic grin. 

Isabella chuckled as she watched Johnny walk over to the door leading back to the center room curiously. He stopped on the other side next to the switch for the fire trap, raising his hand and pausing to look back momentarily. 

"What are you-" 

Isabella stopped mid-sentence once she saw the ghostly expression on his face, but his eyes were what really shocked her. They were glowing red. 

Johnny smiled and cackled insanely as he flipped the switch, effectively trapping them for the time being as Samantha's laughter filled everyone's ears.


	10. Bullet Wounds and Betrayal

Johnny laughed insanely as he flipped the switch and ran, the image of his glowing red eyes disturbing Isabella as she tried to come up with a plan of action. 

"You little bitch!" Dempsey shouted above the moans of the undead that were beginning to swarm their windows as he raised his Galil and started firing as Samantha's laughter faded into the distance.

"Come on!" Isabella yelled, moving towards the door to the junkyard lander. "We can still catch him!" 

The two soldiers followed behind her as she raced up to the control panel and pressed the button to call the lander. Instantly she felt a jolt of electricity pass through her arm as she was thrown back a few feet while hearing Samantha's demented laughter once again. 

"What the hell?!" Isabella choked, quite startled as she ran a hand through her hair, noticing that it was a bit frizzy.

She heard Dempsey shout her name but he sounded far away for some reason as every sound around her was muted. Her eyes widened in fear as a demonic voice filled her head. 

_"LOOK WHO DECIDED TO JOIN THE PARTY!"_

Samantha laughed as an image of Brianna and Zack flashed before her eyes. 

 _No..._  Isabella thought, horrified as she continued to watch the scene before her unfold. She could see them stepping off a lander and onto clean white flooring, Takeo and Nikolai right behind them.  _The starting room!_  She thought quickly, feeling someone shaking her as she blinked her eyes a couple times, coming back to reality and immediately seeing Dempsey's concerned face right in front of her. 

"Hey, you alright?!" He asked, noticing the look of horror still gracing her features. "What was that-"

Tank was interrupted by the sound of gun fire from Richtofen's Afterburner as the zombies began to swarm in. 

Isabella panicked, for the first time she didn't know what to do. _I can't use the fucking lander thanks to you, BITCH..._ The dark haired woman thought angrily, imagining herself roundhouse kicking the demon girl in the face, Chuck Norris style. 

_That would be awesome. How am I going to-_

A large golden icon of a price tag with a giant dollar sign on it appeared, hovering in the air for a moment before Richtofen moved forward to grab it. 

"FIRE SALE!" A sinister voice screamed as Isabella jumped up and ran to the box near the metal gate.

 _Perfect!_  She thought before throwing the lid open, eyeing the weapons cycling before her as they began to slow down.  _Give me something good please..._  She prayed as it stopped on a small circular device colored yellow with black caution stripes on it. 

"YESSSSS!" Isabella screamed, making Dempsey jump in surprise as she began laughing. Pulling a chord on the side of the device, she activated it and flipped a switch before tossing it a few feet away. 

"What the-"

A second later a bright purple light erupted from the machine and began sucking the undead into it, killing them instantly. 

"Awesome!" Tank shouted before looking Isabella's way. "Kinda takes some of the fun out of it when we can't shoot em' up though..." He added, grinning and earning himself a small smile in return. He felt himself being shoved aside suddenly as Richtofen rushed past him towards the box. 

"Out of zhe way Dempshey!" The doctor yelled, flipping the lid of the box open just in time to gamble. "Zhere are bargains!" He giggled as he pulled a crossbow out of the box, equipped with explosive tipped arrows. 

"Zhis vill do nicely..." He said, smiling while loading it just as the Gersch device Isabella had thrown disappeared. 

The zombies rushed towards the living again as Richtofen shot one in the chest with his crossbow, making it stop dead in it's tracks, a confused look on it's rotting face as it exploded a few seconds later while taking out a number of undead around it. The doctor laughed insanely as he readied another arrow, knowing that they had to escape this confined space they were trapped in soon...

Isabella, seemingly reading his mind, knew the same thing. They had to get out of there. 

 _I need to get to the center room before they meet up with Johnny..._  She thought suddenly, remembering that he was possibly under Samantha's control. _There's no telling what he might do..._

Trying desperately to think of a plan, she suddenly remembered she had two Gersch devices left as she pulled another one out of her bag. 

 _Video game magic..._  She thought with a smile. _I love it..._

Activating the device and throwing it onto the ground a few feet in front of her, she turned to Richtofen and Dempsey who were holding off the zombies coming through the main door.

"Hey!" She shouted, getting their attention as she motioned for them to follow her. "Come on!"

Isabella smiled at them both, turning and dolphin diving head first into the purple light of the black hole before disappearing in a flash. Dempsey watched with wide eyes as he turned and jumped towards the same purple light, zombies right behind him. 

"Come on Doc!" He shouted before disappearing as Richtofen emptied his current clip and turned to evacuate as well, diving in just before the black hole closed and disappeared.

...

In the Center Room...

...

"Is this it?" Brianna questioned, more to herself as she looked around, noticing the giant swinging arm in the center of the room they were in. 

 _Oh yeah, this is definitely it..._ She thought, frowning and remembering all those times she had been downed while playing because of that thing.  _Stupid Centrifuge..._

The sound of boards being ripped down next to her quickly got her attention. 

"Guys!" She shouted, pointing to the windows and reading her Wunderwaffe. She fired into the crowded window as Takeo ran forward, armed with his Browning, as they began taking out the undead. 

Zack sprinted over to the wall near the lander they had randomly appeared on and grabbed the M14 from it's chalk outline as he too began blasting away, trying to lessen the horde coming through the doorway to Juggernog. 

Nikolai ran up the stairs and grabbed the Olympia, covering the zombies coming from the top entrance as they all worked together to hold it down, managing to push the zombies back a bit. 

"Brianna!" Zack yelled as she turned and saw a large crowd coming through the door. The blonde turned and pulled the trigger, taking them all out in one shot with a bolt of electricity.

"FUCK!" Nikolai shouted from upstairs as he wasted his last zombie with a shotgun blast to the face. "Out of ammo!" He jumped down, landing next to Takeo as Zack noticed he was out of shells as well. 

"I'm out too!" He said, running towards the door to Jug. "Let's go!" 

Brianna turned, and motioned for Takeo and Nikolai to go first. "I'll cover us from behind!" She shouted, turning and electrocuting another line of zombies before reloading. 

Zack rushed forward and grabbed the MPL under the stairs, loading it as they all ran towards the beloved perk machine known as Juggernog. Nikolai snatched the PM63 off the wall quickly as Takeo and Zack headed for the Juggernog machine and grabbed a bottle, each of them downing it as they tossed the empty containers to the side with a crash. 

"Juggernog is fuel for honor!" Takeo cried as he moved forward, guarding the stairs as Zack unloaded his MPL on the zombies in the window with Nikolai guarding the window on the opposite side of the room. 

"Die already!" Zack shouted as he noticed the undead were getting harder to kill. _Or maybe it's this shitty gun..._  He thought in irritation as he watched Brianna fry zombies that tried to head up the stairs.

Suddenly a purple light appeared in the center of the room, getting everyone's attention as a certain German doctor came tumbling out of it before landing on the floor roughly. 

"A personal teleporter..." He mumbled, laughing to himself while still sprawled on the ground. "Genius!"

"Doctor!" Takeo said, getting the man's attention as he looked up and noticed his comrades.

"Vhy hello zhere!" Richtofen said cheerfully, allowing the Japanese soldier to help him to his feet. "And Nikolai too!" He added, looking the Russian's way and giving him a small wave. "Wunderbar!" 

He looked around the room briefly, frowning when he noticed that the girl and the American were not here. _Vell, I don't care vhere zhat thing took Dempshey anyway..._  He thought irritatedly, remembering that Johnny was still roaming around acting all possessed and shit. 

A bright bolt of electricity caught the doctor's eye as Brianna fired off another round from the Wunderwaffe, zapping a horde of zombies and sending them back to their graves. 

"OOOOHHH! Zhe Wunderwaffe DG-2!" The doctor squealed while sniffling a bit, completely overjoyed. "I missed you!" 

Brianna looked over at him for a moment and grinned, getting an idea. The zombies were beginning to lessen, as she took this chance to approach him while everyone else was busy holding down the windows and the stairs. 

"I'll trade you," She said, noticing how he eyed her suspiciously while she was speaking. "Take me to my sister and this gun is yours." 

_Her schwester? How am I supposed to know vhere-_

Then it hit him. The resemblance, their mannerisms, and those haunting green eyes. _Izabella, of course..._ He thought, worrying slightly.

"Ja, it's a deal." Richtofen said quickly, reaching for the weapon as she yanked it back, making him frown in confusion.

"Also," The blonde woman added, grinning and eyeing the gun strapped to his back. "You have to give me one of your guns too..."

"Zhat vas not vhat ve agreed on!"

"I need a gun to defend myself!" Brianna interjected, explaining herself quickly while knowing what she proposed was a pretty fair deal. "I'm giving you the only gun I have!"

"Fine!" Richtofen said, exhausted already with this argument as he pulled the crossbow out to hand to her.

"And not the shitty crossbow! Give me that Afterburner!"

Richtofen frowned intensely but sighed, knowing the girl was right. He couldn't expect her to survive with just a crossbow. Handing her the Afterburner killed him a little inside, as it was one of his favorite guns, but receiving the Wunderwaffe made up for it tenfold. 

"Lead the way." Brianna said as she reloaded her upgraded MP40 and prepared to move out. "Zack!" She yelled to her boyfriend as she followed the doctor and their other comrades up the stairs. "Let's move!" 

Turning and firing at the last few zombies in his window, he ran up the steps after them and out into the courtyard. A few zombies showed up here and there but for the most part, they weren't swarming in like before as their group worked on rebuilding windows while they moved forward throughout the areas. 

Richtofen stopped to build a window, Brianna taking the lead when she spied a figure running in the shadows, coming their way. Raising her gun, she prepared for it to be just another sprinting zombie but stopped when she realized it was still one of the living. 

"Hey!" She called out, waving in a friendly gesture and causing the unknown person to stop dead in their tracks. Before she had a chance to do anything, the dark haired man pulled out his pistol and fired before turning and running the other way. Less than a second later, Zack was at her side asking what happened. 

"Motherfucker shot me..." Brianna choked out, pointing in the direction he ran and gritting her teeth from the pain in her arm. "Get that asshole!" She hissed as Zack nodded, giving her hand a squeeze before taking off sprinting after the mysterious attacker, followed by Nikolai. 

"Let's get that little piz'da!" The Russian shouted from behind as Zack grinned and nodded, gripping his M14 tightly. 

"I'm gonna bust his fucking face open!" He shouted, sprinting at full speed.

Richtofen pulled out the case of healing syringes from his doctor bag and ripped Brianna's shirt at the shoulder slightly, exposing the bullet wound. 

"Stay still," He said in a bored tone while injecting the contents of the syringe into her arm. Magically, the wound began to close and the bleeding stopped, as well as the pain. In a few minutes it was as if nothing had ever happened as Takeo, ever the honorable gentleman, helped her to her feet as they all readied themselves and followed after Nikolai and Zack.

...

Somewhere else...

...

A bright purple flash appeared in another part of the map as a certain crazy lady came sailing out of it...

"Fuuuuuuu- OOF!" 

Isabella gasped slightly, the wind momentarily knocked out of her as she reappeared mid-dive and connected with the floor. Noticing the flooring underneath her and looking around while still a bit dizzy, she deduced that she must be upstairs at the lander next to the sickle. 

 _In the hallway leading to the sickle, to be more precise..._ She thought as another flash of purple appeared in front of her as she rolled out of the way quickly. The Marine appeared seconds later, tumbling to the floor with a sickened look on his face. 

 _I am never doing that again..._  Dempsey thought, feeling his stomach lurch forward in an uncomfortable way. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, his other hand immediately going to the knife at his waistband, ready to attack out of reflex when a familiar voice put him at ease. 

"You okay?" Isabella asked, genuinely concerned as she helped him to his feet, both of them checking the surrounding areas for any undead. 

"Yeah..." He replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly while looking away. "Just a bit queasy from all that teleportin'..."

Isabella frowned when she noticed that he wouldn't even look at her. "Oh, okay." She stated in a monotone voice, removing her hand instantly. "Let's go then-" 

She turned to leave when she felt his hand on her arm and heard him sigh as she turned around once more to face him. 

"Yes?" She said while looking him in the eyes, slightly curious about his strange antics and wishing he would just kiss her already so she didn't have to just stand there and stare at his sexy face...

"Don't trust him." Dempsey said, interrupting her thoughts about his sexiness. 

"What?" Isabella said, slightly confused at what he meant, or really who he was talking about. "Don't trust who?" She questioned, earning herself a WTF look from the Marine. 

"Richtofen!" He said very annoyed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I saw you earlier-"

"Oh." Isabella interrupted, crossing her arms. "You mean when he saved me from almost getting mauled to death by a zombie monkey?" She raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response from the dumbstruck blonde. 

"Uhh, well..." Tank muttered, searching for something he could say to defend himself, but coming up with nothing. "I didn't know that-"

"Then you shouldn't just assume things if you don't know the whole story." Isabella added, uncrossing her arms and placing them on her hips, knowing she had won.

Dempsey sighed, knowing deep down that she was right. Looking at her with a defeated expression, he took a deep breath before closing his eyes for a moment and doing something he rarely did. 

"I'm sor-"

He didn't actually get to finish the apology, as he felt her soft lips pressing against his as his eyes shot open, seeing her angelic face inches from his own. He shut his eyes while grinning, all of his doubts fading away as he felt her arms around his shoulders as his moved to snake around her waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. Her hands moved to caress the back of his neck as she heard him groan in approval while pulling her tighter against him, loving the feeling of her small body in his arms. 

Isabella could feel her face getting redder by the second from their make out session and knew right now, it couldn't go any further as she removed her hands and began to pull away, licking her lips and teasing the Marine.

"You could have just told me you were jealous." She said, smiling and trying to control her fast beating heart as she heard someone running up the metal steps. Before either of them had a chance to reach for their guns, which were still on the floor, they were both met with the last person they wanted to run into. 

Glowing red eyes peaked out from under dark bangs as Johnny raised his gun, laughing maniacally.

"Oh, look at the happy couple..." He said in a demonic voice that wasn't his own. "We'll have to change that." He gripped the gun tighter as his finger moved to the trigger, his inner self panicking at the horrified looks on their faces. 

 _I'm sorry..._ Johnny thought desperately, his vision clouding once more as Samantha laughed, forcing him to pull the trigger...


	11. Reunions and Radios

_I'm sorry..._ Johnny thought desperately, his vision clouding once more as Samantha laughed, forcing him to pull the trigger...

Just as Johnny squeezed the trigger, Zack appeared in the doorway behind him, running forward and kicking him in the back while sending him flying face first into the ground as his gun slid across the floor towards Isabella and Dempsey. 

Isabella opened her eyes slowly, seeing the back of a green army uniform in front of her face. Worrying immediately and thinking the worst had happened, she spun the Marine around while she searched for any bullet wounds. Finding nothing, she looked up at him with a smile as he stared down at her, chuckling as he pulled her close again. 

"Worried about me?" Dempsey said teasingly, making her cheeks turn pink. 

Turning away, she was about to deny it... _But why should I?_  She thought with a grin, happy he had finally shown some emotions towards her. She focused her attention towards Zack who had Johnny restrained under his boot, still face down against the floor, struggling to catch his breath after having the wind knocked- Er, rather kicked, out of him. 

Nikolai rushed up the stairs, followed by Takeo, Richtofen and...

"Brianna!" Isabella shouted happily, making the blonde girl's head snap up as her eyes widened. 

"IZZY!" She cried as she ran forward, tackling her younger sister to the ground in a bear hug. "I thought I would never see you again..." The older woman sobbed as she proceeded to squeeze the air out of her. 

"Bri... You're crushing me..." Isabella managed to choke out, as Zack laughed in the background, Johnny still struggling underneath him. 

"Good to see ya Izzy," Zack stated, sending her a small grin and a wink while wrestling with the other man in order to keep him restrained. "And I'm glad you're okay Bri..." He said more to himself with a sigh of relief, nodding thankfully towards the doctor and letting his guard down for a moment as Johnny/Samantha decided to make their move.

"We'll, it's been fun you guys..." Johnny said in an evil whisper, catching the group's attention. "We will _definitely_ have to do it again sometime!" He finished, chuckling slowly at first until it escalated into the insane cackle of a madman. 

Everyone was powerless to do anything as Johnny disappeared in a flash of red, followed by Samantha's taunting laughter. 

 _Fuckin' A!_ Zack thought, extremely pissed off that he didn't get to break that bitch's face. _If I see that bastard again... I swear..._

"Oh, what's this?" Brianna asked, looking at her sister and pointing up towards the roof at a bloody teddy bear holding a sickle. 

Isabella walked over to where Brianna was standing and examined the small bear, hearing a strange sound when she touched it. Not wanting to disturb anything, she put the demented bear back, shrugging her shoulders as they stepped back to where the rest of the group was. 

Nikolai, Dempsey and Zack were bragging about their head shots and kills while Richtofen fussed over his Wunderwaffe and Takeo daydreamed about honor...

"Please... Help me... She's coming! The mechanism must be repaired!" The disembodied voice took everyone by surprise while also snapping Isabella out of her thoughts. 

"You guys want to see something cool?" She asked, raising an eyebrow mischievously and motioning for everyone to follow her.

 _I keep forgetting about Gersch..._ Isabella realized while feeling rather absentminded, as she turned to walk down the steps towards the stage, hopping over a few crawlers that were still hissing and groaning.

"Don't kill those things..." Zack instructed, pointing to a crawler as Nikolai raised his pistol to blow its head off. "Just trust me man." He finished, as the Russian shrugged and kept walking, holstering his gun again. 

Isabella stopped before the stairs, in front of the barriers blocking her path, looking forward about twenty feet and spying a generator laying on it's side. Pulling her last Gersch device out of her bag, the group watched curiously as she activated it and tossed it forward, hearing a slight clank as it landed on the ground near the flashing generator.

Samantha's creepy laughter could be heard as a purple light erupted from the device and the generator was sucked into the vortex, disappearing with a flash as an alarm went off followed by an announcement.

"Kassimir Mechanism activation in progress. Error. No power detected." The monotone voice said as Gersch congratulated them. 

"You've done it! Now, it needs as much power as possible. Hurry, she's getting nearer!" The whispering man demanded, leaving everyone but Isabella, Brianna and Zack confused.

"Maybe ve should help zhis... Zhing." Richtofen spoke up, very much intrigued. 

"Come on..." Isabella said while walking away before anyone could ask any questions, she just wanted to get this over with. Turning and heading towards Stamin-Up, followed closely by Dempsey, her sister and Zack, their group made their way past the perk machine to the junkyard. 

Isabella walked under the stairs where a computer console was located, the screen displaying nothing but static at the moment. Looking at all the buttons she spied a blue circular one with an X on it. 

 _There's no way this is really how you activate it..._ Isabella thought with a chuckle as she pressed the blue button.

The static on the computer screen changed to the Illuminati symbol as the voice on the loudspeakers filled their ears once again. 

"Power re-routed. Kassimir Mechanism Node 1 activated."

"Three more! No, stop it!" Gersch cried as Richtofen laughed and clapped his hands. 

"Zhis Kassimir Mechanism sounds intriguing! Vhat's next?"

Smiling, Isabella nodded to Zack who raised his gun, taking out the two crawlers that had finally caught up to them. The round ended as an eerie silence encompassed them all, making the group a bit nervous. Everyone reloaded, preparing themselves for future hordes of zombies as Isabella readied her cannon, turning to the doctor to answer his question.

"Well," Isabella replied, looking around while waiting for zombies to start spawning outside the windows. "We'll have to wait for a monkey r-" She was cut off by the familiar sound of alarms as the voice on the loudspeakers informed them of intruders. 

"We have to get to the perk machines!" Isabella shouted above the sound of tiny space ships crashing around them. 

"This way!" Brianna yelled, running towards Stamin-Up followed by the rest of their group. "Here..." She said, pointing towards a button on the wall near the yellow perk machine that had not been there until now. "Two people stay here and guard this machine..." She explained, looking around as Nikolai ran over to the wall and grabbed the AK74u while Takeo reloaded his Browning. 

"Go." Takeo said, nodding towards the Russian soldier. "We have this covered."

"Press the button when you see the signal!" Brianna shouted, turning to run down the hallway, followed closely by Isabella, Dempsey and Richtofen. 

"How will we know what the signal is?!" Nikolai yelled, unsure of this plan as Zack paused, looking back before running after his girlfriend and the rest of the group. 

"Trust me!" He shouted, grinning mischievously before turning back around. "You'll know!"

 _Something always goes wrong when we split up..._ Nikolai thought, a bad feeling filling his gut as he readied his AK, preparing for the worst.

The rest of the zombie slayers rushed down the path until reaching the stage and the doorway leading to Juggernog. Isabella opened her mouth to speak but the doctor beat her to it. 

"Leave zhis von to me." He said grinning and holding up his Wunderwaffe before sprinting towards the stage and the button at PhD Flopper. Brianna was next to interrupt as a small space ship crashed a few feet away from them. 

"Zack and I will guard Juggernog, just go get Speed Cola!" The blonde shouted to her sister who nodded in response before running towards the stairs by Pack-A-Punch followed by Dempsey.

Sprinting up the steps, Isabella caught up with a monkey right before it was about to latch onto the glowing green machine. Firing her cannon twice in a row, she sent it sailing into the wall as it disappeared in a flash of red. 

Dempsey raced up the steps, standing next to her and readying his Galil as he heard more screeching primates approaching. Two monkeys rounded the corner from the steps, screaming and jumping as Dempsey unloaded a full clip of ammo on both of them, killing one as the other was taken out by a blast of air.

Silence... 

Until a large explosion shook the ground. 

 _What the fuck was that?!_ Isabella wondered for a moment before realizing that must be the signal as she shouted for Dempsey to press the button on the wall.

Down at Juggernog, Brianna was guarding the machine downstairs with her Afterburner while Zack set off a large bomb they had found earlier on in their explorations here. The building shook as the explosion took out the entire doorway, bits of the wall still crumbling and falling to the ground as Zack stumbled back rather shocked at how well that worked. 

 _Might have been cool to save that for the zombies..._ He thought, looking at the damage done to the building and noticing the charred bodies of the space monkeys that were now smoldering piles of ash. The bomb had killed a group of three undead monkeys racing towards them at the time, the flames from the blast cremating them instantly.

As the explosion went off, everyone hit their respective buttons at the same time, making them all sink back into the wall as Gersch's voice filled their ears once again. 

"It needs to be more concentrated power for this to work!"

"Uh, you sure we should be helping this guy?" Tank questioned, looking at Isabella who was still guarding the steps. 

"Trust me, it's fine." Isabella reassured him, thinking about the matter herself. "He's not the bad guy..." She began explaining, meeting his eyes as he stayed silent for once, listening to her words. "The reason he's trapped here or whatever, is because of Samantha..." She finished while frowning, lowering the Zeus Cannon and thinking to herself. 

_There must be one monkey left somewhere-_

"Check this out!" Dempsey said, picking up a toy that was laying on top of the Speed Cola machine. _Is this a doll or an action figure?_ He thought amused, looking at it momentarily before getting bored once again. 

"Oh... Hi Dempsey!" A tiny voice from the doll said, making the Marine jump slightly. 

"Who is this guy?" Dempsey asked, chuckling while tossing the doll to Isabella. 

Catching the doll in her free hand, she noticed it was a miniaturized version of Nikolai in Matryoshka Doll form, drunken scowl included. Laughing at the resemblance for a moment, she was about to put it back in it's place when a small voice interrupted her. 

"You pretty even without vodka goggles on!" The tiny doll said, finishing it's statement with a whistle as Isabella and Dempsey burst out laughing. 

Putting the doll back on top of the perk machine, she looked the left, noticing a tape player on top of the strange machines next to Speed Cola. Pulling the radio down she fumbled with it for a moment before locating the play button and pressing it, resulting in static then the sound of a voice.

 _"They're entering my head! Always my head! I can't hinter, I can't, OOF, I can't stop it! Keep it out! I want you to LEAVE ME ALONE! Calm down there! Calm down! No, no I won't! ShutTheShutTheFuckUpSTOP! J-Just stop! Fine... Okay, okay I will-"_  

The message ended in static before the tape clicked, reaching it's end as Tank looked at Isabella with a look of confusion.

"Samantha did this!" Isabella hissed, throwing the tape player on the ground in anger and pulling out her pistol. "You're the reason for all of this..." She continued, her voice cracking slightly as she emptied a full clip into the radio, effectively making sure it would never play again. 

 _You're the reason I'm stuck here..._ Isabella thought sadly, feeling tired, hungry, stressed and very close to breaking down. Suddenly she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders as a deep voice filled her ears. 

"Don't worry..." Tank assured her, making her feel better already. "We're gonna get her." He promised, turning her around and giving her a look of determination. "And when we do find her..." He added seriously. "She's going to pay." 

Isabella nodded, knowing deep down that if she was going to make it through this she had to keep herself together mentally. "You're right." She said, smiling up at the Marine and turning to head down the stairs. "Let's go meet up with everyone else."

...

Over at PhD Flopper...

...

"Ah, zhis ist just too much fun!" Richtofen sang as he zapped another monkey that came rushing up the stairs, laughing as it exploded. Noticing the coast was clear for the moment, he moved forward, walking down the steps while examining the area around him. 

 _Vhat an interesting place ve have come to zhis time..._  The doctor thought while looking around absentmindedly. His sharp eyes soon picked up on the tape player wedged between the two concrete barriers to his right. 

 _Vhat have ve here..._ He thought curiously while stepping forward and pressing the play button. Static filled his ears at first as the tape started and began to play...

 _"I give you my sincere gratitude for that... But, down to business, I am pleased to report all projects are running smoothly again after these here personal changes. As I had previously mentioned. Yuri Kravcheski is a brilliant scientist, but it he has been so far incapable of handling "Project Mercury" - or as you call it, "the Gersch Device"."_  

The man in the recording chuckled slightly before continuing. _"...And so due to numerous setbacks and delays I am forced to transfer Yuri to AK64-A experiments. I have decided that your nephew should take his place. I look forward to working with him directly. The recent incident with the Kassimir Mechanism leaves no doubt in my mind, that this is the right decision. The explosion caused the Mechanism significant damage - it will take time to re-manufacture all of the parts - unless some can be salvaged ..."_ The message ended in static before stopping as the device shut itself off.

 _Gersch..._  Richtofen thought as he remembered the interactions between himself and his fellow scientist. They had worked together a few times on various projects before his demise at the hands of Yuri/Samantha. 

 _Vhat a vay to go..._  He mused while staring into the distance. _Killed by his own creation..._

Dempsey and Zack's loud voices approaching snapped him out of his personal thoughts as he turned around, seeing them walking towards the stage, followed by Brianna and Isabella. Sprinting forward to join them, he eyed the Marine distastefully before commenting. 

"Ah, Dempshey, you have survived anozher day..." Richtofen said sarcastically while looking towards the American soldier. "Vhat a pity."

Dempsey frowned, opening his mouth to argue but got a better idea as a wicked smile appeared on his face instead. Turning around and spying Isabella walking behind him, he slowed down a bit until he was walking beside her, as he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him while they walked as she smiled up at him, unaware of the doctor fuming behind them. Tank however, did have an idea of how pissed the doc would be as he chuckled to himself, looking down at the hot girl on his arm. 

 _Yep, I'd say I'm the winner here!_ He realized, laughing to himself as they lead the way towards Stamin-Up. 

Brianna rolled her eyes, noticing the rivalry between the two soldiers as she turned to focus her attention on her man walking at her side as she reached out to hold his hand, following her sister and Dempsey.

Richtofen watched the Marine walk away with Isabella under his arm, frowning and feeling a stab of jealously in his chest at coming in at second place with anything concerning the American. 

 _Vell, ve vill see..._  He thought smiling slightly, returning to the calm yet insane doctor we all know and love.

"In der Liebe und im Krieg ist alles erlaubt..."


	12. It's Never Easy Saying Goodbye

Nikolai knifed the last zombie monkey to death, grabbing the power up in the process as a voice from above screamed. 

"MAX AMMO!"

Alarms stopped going off, signifying the end of the intrusion as a monotone male voice could be heard once again over the loud speakers.

"Security level normalized. System defenses online." 

Nikolai wasted no time in reloading his gun as he glanced over to where the Japanese soldier was standing, noticing he was reaching behind one of the barriers, trying to get at something just beyond his reach. 

"What are you doing over there?" Nikolai questioned curiously, walking over just as Takeo pulled out a tape player, wiping some dust off the top and locating the play button.

"I saw this." Takeo stated calmly, remembering previous radios that had existed in other areas and recalling their importance. "Perhaps it can shed some light on our situation..." 

Nikolai shrugged and was about to say something about needing more vodka when Dempsey and Isabella walked in, followed by Zack, Brianna and Richtofen. Takeo pressed play as they all walked up, crowding around the device, hearing static at first then bits of a broken conversation. 

"Ooooh, what's th-" Brianna began loudly, instantly cut off by her sister. 

"Shhh!" Isabella hissed, frowning slightly and pointing towards the radio as everyone stayed silent, listening in on the recorded audio diary...

 _"This had better be good Yuri..."_ Gersch's voice said suddenly as the radio hissed with static. _"The fact that you're in this lab again is reason enough to have you permanently removed! If you've done anything to ruin it-"_

 _"Do not worry, you won't be disappointed."_ Yuri explained, interrupting his fellow scientist as he chuckled. _"In fact, I'm sure you won't forget it! But, I can't take all the credit. If you will do me the honors..."_

A few shuffling sounds could be heard in the background as the tell tale signs of a Gersch device being activated filled everyone's ears as they all continued to listen. The radio hissed again after a moment of silence before another familiar voice was heard on the tape. 

 _"HAVING FUN?"_ Samantha screamed as Dr. Gersch could be heard yelling in the background.

_"What the-? No! No! Yuri, you-!"_

Yuri laughed evilly to himself as the tape hissed again, close to it's end. _"You fat pig! Enjoy your bed! Heheheh, heh... Oh no. No! NoNoNoNo! What have I done? What have I do-"_

The radio clicked once before stopping and shutting off as everyone stayed silent, not knowing what to say after hearing something like that. The sound of boards being ripped down got everyone's attention, as they all focused on surviving for now. 

"We should go to the stage!" Zack suggested, looking at Brianna and Isabella as he shouted over the sound of gunfire, emptying a clip from his MPL into a zombie trying to break in. "It's the easiest place to defend!" 

_And I need to Pack-A-Punch this piece of shit..._

"Come on, guys!" Isabella said while holding up her Zeus Cannon and moving towards the hallway. "I'll lead the way with this!" 

 _Zack is right, we need to get out of this tight space before more start swarming..._  She thought desperately, noticing everyone was starting to get a little overwhelmed. 

"Von moment Izabella~" Richtofen sang as he fired the DG-2, sending a blast of electricity through a small horde coming from the junkyard. "Ze doctor is busy attending to his patients! Hahaha!"

Isabella smirked and rolled her eyes, about to say something back when a piercing scream caught everyone's attention. A zombie coming up through the ground, grabbed Brianna's leg as it scratched her with its fingernails, causing her to yell out in pain as she tried to kick it away desperately. 

Zack turned from his window, seeing the zombie just about to bite as he spun around and fired the last of his bullets into the undead creature's head. He smiled at her, relieved that she was alright as he moved forward to help her up, stopping momentarily when he saw a look of terror on her face. 

"Bri? What's wro-"

The sickening sound of bones breaking and skin tearing filled everyone's ears as Zack's eyes widened. A terrible pain surged through his neck, taking him by surprise and making him scream out in agony.

Brianna covered her mouth with her hands as she watched the zombie maul her boyfriend, blood from his neck splattering her face and the ground, sending her into shock as she shook, unable to do anything. Takeo turned around, quickly shooting the zombie in the head with his Browning as it dropped to the ground, releasing Zack as he slid down the wall, coughing up blood.

"Zack!" Brianna screamed, crawling towards him and crying as she saw the severity of the wound on his neck. Blood continued to pour down his shirt as he clung to his neck desperately, eyes growing heavier by the second. 

 _Damn... thing... Got me good..._  He thought, suddenly feeling very tired. He could see Brianna's face close to his own and she appeared to be yelling about something, looking rather panicked. 

 _Brianna... Isabella... I'm sorry I.. I couldn't do more..._ It was hard to care at this point. Everything was quiet for once as Zack shut his eyes one last time, his hands dropping from his neck as his body went limp. Just like that, they had lost one of their own to the undead.

Despite the tragedy that had just occurred, the zombies didn't stop swarming and there was no time as Isabella realized what had to be done. She cursed, feeling sick to her stomach while watching her sister cradle her dead boyfriend in her arms. 

_I need to get her out of here..._

Taking a few quick steps to where Brianna was kneeling on the ground, the younger woman reached out, grabbing the blonde roughly by the back of the shirt and dragging her to her feet as she fought with her. 

"Get up now!" Isabella threatened as her voice began to crack. Her sister was not making this easy. 

"NO!" Brianna shouted, clawing at Isabella's arm with her nails and making her bleed while fighting to return to her lover's side. "Let me go!" She cried desperately, sobbing as Isabella decided she'd had enough. 

She used the adrenaline pumping through her veins to drag her sister back a few feet, slamming her against a wall and slapping her across the face. That seemed to snap her out of her trance, making her freeze for a moment as she stared back.

"He's fucking dead Bri!" Isabella shouted in her face, her anxiety kicking in as scenes from her frequent nightmares began to play out in her mind. "We need to get out of here before we end up like that-"

"Fall back! We've got a breach!" Nikolai shouted getting everyone's attention, as a horde of zombies broke through the back window. Richtofen turned and blasted the small group, silencing them all with a single shot of electricity before he ran out of ammo. 

"Zhis veapon is empty!" The doctor cried, genuinely upset, as he pulled out his crossbow and fired into an open window, creating several crawlers. More zombies started coming up through the ground in a few places, as Dempsey and Takeo did their best to cover the hallway and the window for as long as they could while Nikolai ran around shooting the ones popping their heads through the dirt. 

"Invade my space, I shoot your face!" The Russian soldier shouted as he blasted a zombie in the head with his AK. 

"Hey Izz!" Dempsey shouted backing up from an enormous horde sprinting towards them. "A little help over here!"

Raising the Zeus Cannon, she fired a couple shots, taking out the crowds in a matter of seconds as the sound of rotting corpses being smashed against the walls echoed throughout the Cosmodrome. Blood ran down onto the floor as she reloaded, shouting behind her in the process. 

"Let's move!" Firing another blast from her cannon, she cleared the hallway as she grabbed her sister, dragging her along and shoving her towards Dempsey. "Get her out of here..." Isabella mumbled, sounding a bit choked up. "Please..." 

_She'll be okay with Dempsey... It's okay..._

Glancing around the room, Takeo and Nikolai abandoned their windows, running towards them as Isabella unwillingly caught a glimpse of Zack's corpse, already partly devoured by a zombie. Sure, Zack was her sister's boyfriend but still, they had all spent a lot of time together and he was her friend as well as someone she had grown extremely attached to over the years. 

Fighting back tears, Isabella felt an uncontrollable rage towards the undead, Samantha... and pretty much everything that had happened to them up until this point. 

 _Why us? Why did Zack have to die? What the hell do we have to do with all this?!_  

So many questions flooded her mind as the tears threatened to spill over. She didn't notice but her hands were shaking as she tossed the cannon to Nikolai and pulled out Calamity, approaching the zombie faster than anyone could stop her. 

"Son of a bitch!" Isabella screamed, bringing her foot up with lightning speed as she kicked the undead soldier in the head, sending it flying backwards. The undead creature stumbled to its feet, lunging for her as she raised Calamity and pulled the trigger, blood and bits of skull flying through the air. Laughing insanely, Isabella continued to advance towards a growing horde coming her way, intent on making them pay for what they had done, but was stopped by a gloved hand pulling her back. 

"Dempshey! Nikolai!" Richtofen shouted, taking control of the situation while dragging Isabella back to the door with ease. "Let us be on our vay!"

Isabella frowned, taking every opportunity to turn around a fire more rounds into the horde following their group as she was pulled along quickly by the doctor, who paused after a moment to turn and fire an explosive into the crowd following them. 

A few crawlers survived, hissing and moving forward at an extremely slow pace as faster zombies began to catch up, causing them to retreat. As they ran by, a zombie jumped out of a window directly in front of Isabella, grabbing her arm for less than a second before the undead appendage was sliced off by Richtofen's bowie knife. 

"I do the dissections around here!" Richtofen shouted, laughing as the zombie growled in what seemed like pain or perhaps annoyance as it charged them both, instantly meeting the doctor's blade again as the corpse finally crashed to the ground. 

Feeling a small tug on his sleeve the doctor tensed, ready to defend himself against another attack as he looked down, sighing when he confirmed that it was a hand of the living and not the decaying claw of a zombie. Turning quickly, they both made their escape, sprinting down the hallway to catch up.

Nikolai led the group down the narrow passageway, equipped with the Zeus Cannon as they all finally made their way onto the stage. Blasting a small group out of the way, the Russian soldier smiled, really enjoying being able to use such an awesome weapon. 

"So easy, even a drunk can do it!" He grinned, holding down the front steps while watching Isabella and the crazy doctor approaching fast with a decent crowd on their tails. 

Takeo noticed that the zombies had stopped spawning in for the moment as he took this opportunity to reload.  _Perhaps we will get a break finally..._ He thought, hoping that was indeed the case seeing as he was almost out of ammo. _We cannot keep fighting like this forever..._

Richtofen and Isabella raced up the steps, running past Nikolai as he waited for just the right moment to fire.

BOOM! 

All the zombies following them were taken out in a single shot as the drunk Russian cheered. 

"The shattering bones of the, uh... DIE! DIE!"

Isabella rushed over to Dempsey and her sister, seeing her crying on the arm of the Marine and looking quite distant. 

"Bri...?" Isabella questioned, hearing nothing but the silence of the Cosmodrome, except for the groans and hisses from a few crawlers. "Brianna..." She continued, a bit frightened of the ghost like expression of her older sister's face. 

"Are you going to be o-"

SLAP.

It happened so fast, Isabella didn't have time to react as the force of the blow sent her stumbling to the ground as she grabbed her now burning cheek in shock. Isabella hissed, starting to stand up but Brianna was already on top of her again, pushing her down as Dempsey moved to break it up, shocked at the blonde's sudden aggressiveness.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!" Brianna screamed, looking at her younger sister with a look of pure hatred. "You wanted to play this stupid game!" She yelled, breaking down and crying while lunging for Isabella again, this time Dempsey caught her before she could land another blow on the smaller girl. 

"It's your fault we're stuck here!" The blonde shouted as Tank dragged her away, restraining her with the help of Takeo. 

Isabella stared at the ground, not meeting anyone's eyes as she felt her stomach constrict. _She's right..._  She realized while feeling incredibly guilty. _None of this would be happening to them right now if it wasn't for me... Zack would still be alive..._

"I know cure for depression..." A deep voice slurred, bringing her out of her thoughts as she looked up finding Nikolai in front of her, a small clear bottle in his hand. Helping her up, he offered her the tiny bottle, making her raise an eyebrow as she stared up at the Russian, shocked that he was giving up his favorite thing in the whole world, to her no less. 

Sighing dejectedly, she unscrewed the cap before tilting the container back as the strong liquid hit her taste buds and making her squint a bit as she swallowed it, feeling slightly better already. Handing the bottle back to Nikolai, she slapped her cheeks lightly a few times, pulling herself together as she glanced back to her sister who was arguing with Dempsey at the moment judging by her tone and hand gestures.

 _We have to finish things here and free Gersch..._  Isabella realized while planning out their next objective. They had to return power to the third node, which meant heading down to Pack-A-Punch yet again... 

 _Why you make me do so much running around Treyarch?_ Isabella thought in irritation while cursing her sore legs, as she noticed that the doctor, Nikolai and the rest of the group were waiting, staring at her and expecting directions. Everyone except Brianna was waiting on her order.

"Pack-A-Punch." Isabella stated, hiccuping slightly and motioning for them all to follow her. "Let's go." She turned around and walked down the hill, passing through multiple doorways until they reached the bottom area of the facility. She walked to the center of the launch pad and stood on the metal grate while explaining what needed to be done to her teammates. 

"Everyone has to stand here until that clock," She motioned to a clock on the wall that had a ballistic knife instead of a regular minute hand as she continued. "Counts down and you hear a nuke go off." Everyone nodded as they all squeezed onto the small platform used to launch rockets, waiting to hear the ticking of a clock counting down.

...Nothing. 

A few more minutes went by and still the hand on the clock refused to move. 

"Why the hell isn't this thing counting down?" Isabella mumbled, taking a few steps forward while staring at the unresponsive device, frustrated that her plan wasn't going quite like she expected.

"Maybe you missed a step." Brianna chimed in, still sporting a rather harsh tone.

 _No_ , Isabella thought, knowing deep down that she was correct. This was definitely the next step in activating the Kassimir Mechanism... But something was wrong.

 _For this to work everyone that's playing has to be on the platform..._ Isabella remembered, slowly coming to a conclusion as a chill ran down her spine, knowing she was right about this too.

"There has to be someone else here we haven't run into yet..."

...

Near the entrance of the Cosmodrome...

...

The sun was beginning to go down as a young woman with short chestnut colored hair looked around skeptically, surveying the area as she stepped out of her Hummer, grabbing her weapon from the seat next to her. A tiny yip was heard as a small chow-chow jumped out of the Hummer as well and began sniffing around on the ground, looking for traces of anything. 

Light green eyes noticed a black jeep parked a few feet away near the entrance as she made her way over there while snapping her fingers once, getting her partner's attention as the chestnut colored dog returned to her master's side. As she approached the jeep, she noticed the keys were still in the ignition and for the most part... It seemed to be abandoned.

"Check out this sweet ride Shiyla!" The young woman said, adjusting her army jacket as she began snooping through the cargo, looking for any useful supplies. Shiyla jumped up, sniffing the driver's side of the car while yipping to get her owner's attention. 

 _Hmm..._  The woman thought, watching the dog wag it's tail excitedly at the scent of other people. _I wonder if they're still around here-_

A groan in the distance caught their attention quickly, as a hunched over figured approached from the shadows. Shiyla growled and barred her teeth, returning to her owner's side as she readied her Commando and aimed at the limping figure ahead. Her finger was about to squeeze the trigger, which would have resulted in a perfect headshot, but suddenly the corpse's head exploded on it's own as another gun firing was heard behind her.

"What the hell?!" She said aloud, turning around quickly towards the entrance of the large space facility and spying a strange group of survivors, one them equipped with a sniper rifle. The woman with long black hair waved and smiled at her for a moment before handing the rifle back to the doctor with grin.

"See, I told you it would be funny..." 

The German didn't look too amused as he rolled his eyes, sighing at the young woman's pouting face. Returning her attention to the newest member of the 'I'm-a-suvivor-of-the-zombie-apocalypse' club, Isabella strolled over to the other woman who looked to be about her age, as she held out her hand in a friendly greeting. 

"I'm Isabella," She said, shaking her hand as they smiled at each other before Isabella gestured behind her to her teammates. "And this is Dempsey, my sister Brianna, Takeo, Nikolai and Dr. Richtofen."

The new woman smiled, running a hand through her chestnut/black highlighted locks before introducing herself. "Nice to meet you all," She said before continuing, "My name's Hanna Tompkens and this is my dog..." She went on while gesturing towards the animal sitting next to her, still wagging it's tail excitedly. "Shiyla." Thinking about where she actually was, Hanna frowned, confused at meeting survivors all the way out here instead of back at the camp in town where the other people were located...

"What are you all doing out here?" She questioned as everyone in their group looked around at each other, wondering what the best way to explain all this would be.

"It's a long... Crazy story..." Dempsey answered, getting Hanna's attention for the first time as he scratched the back of his head, looking to the sky for answers. 

"Yeah..." Isabella agreed, grinning up at the Marine as he chuckled nervously. "It is strange... But for now," Isabella continued while noticing it was starting to get dark. "We should focus on finding a place to sleep..."

"You guys are more than welcome to share my tents and supplies..." Hanna offered as Isabella's and Brianna's eyes widened simultaneously. 

 _Blankets, warm food, perhaps even a shitty cot to sleep on... What more could I have asked for?_ Isabella thought drunkenly, nodding her head up and down vigorously while throwing an arm around her new comrade and grinning. 

"I don't suppose you would have any booz-" 

Before she could finish her sentence, the brown haired woman pulled a bottle of vodka out of her army pack, wearing a grin matching the one still on Isabella's face. 

"Hun, I think we are gonna get along just fine..."

Nikolai's vodka sense tingled as he shivered, knowing there was vodka around somewhere as his eyes fell on the bottle in Isabella's hands. Eyes widening, she took off running, the Russian soldier right behind her. 

"Get back here with that vodka!" He shouted, ignoring the blank stares that Hanna and the rest of the group were giving them...


	13. Illusions and Injections

Everything was quiet around the small campfire they had going as Isabella scanned the area yet again. She sighed noticing that nothing had changed since the last time she looked around... 

Hanna and Shiyla were asleep in the Hummer's backseat, while Brianna slept silently in the passenger side, immediately going to bed after their introductions and not saying another word to anyone. 

 _I bet Brianna really hates me..._  Isabella realized, her green eyes flickering back to the campfire momentarily. _How can I ever change what I've done? Nothing is going to bring him back..._

A light snoring sound made her look in the direction of the other car where Richtofen was comfortably snoozing in the backseat of the Jeep, hat pulled down over his face as he slept. Takeo was honorably catching some z's on a fold out bed close by, leaving Nikolai, Dempsey and herself on first watch. Everything was going fine until they started to hear faint gun shots in the distance.

"I'm gonna go patrol the area..." Dempsey said about an hour into their shift, feeling restless and rather bored/irritated after hearing yet another story from Nikolai about one of his wives.

"I don't think it's a good id-" Isabella started to say, until she was cut off.

"Stay here." Tank interrupted, giving her a look that said 'make sure he doesn't cause trouble' and nodding towards the intoxicated Russian before he turned around, Galil at the ready. He stepped into the shadows and away from the safety of the campfire before she could argue with him again as Isabella sat back down with a huff and watched Nikolai chug from the liquor bottle. 

 _This is going to be a long night..._ She thought, crossing her legs and staring into the fire aimlessly.

...

An hour later...

...

 _It's been a long time since he left..._ Isabella thought, glancing around and worrying slightly about the Marine's well being after scanning the area again and seeing nothing. Turning around she frowned while staring at the passed out Russian who was now snoring, looking quite peaceful for once. 

 _Tch, lot of help you are Nikolai!_ She thought in irritation, before standing up and walking over to where he was sleeping. She lifted the almost empty bottle of alcohol from his hands carefully as she heard him mumbling in his sleep. He rolled over as Isabella froze, expecting the worst when he suddenly hiccuped, now snoring even louder. 

 _Oh, great..._  Isabella grumbled inwardly, eyes narrowing as she viewed the last few sips in the bottle of vodka she was holding. _Now I have to listen to this AND I have nothing to drink!_

 _Well..._  She continued on in her mind, setting the container back on the ground next her useless comrade. _I definitely can't just stay here and do nothing... Especially with Nikolai's snoring..._

Zipping up her jacket, she grabbed her gun and a burning stick from the fire to use as a torch, finally taking a deep breath and stepping into the shadows. A few steps later she gasped when she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head, watching through dizzy vision as she fell towards the ground.

"Hello there Isabella..." An evil voice chuckled, making her tense as she felt someone catch her just before she passed out.

...

Not too far away...

...

 _FUCK!_ Dempsey thought as he shined his small flashlight on the ground, trying to navigate his way back to their camp. 

 _How the hell is it even possible that I got myself lost?!_ He realized angrily, trying his best to retrace his steps, searching for the glow of the campfire in the distance, but seeing nothing but blackness all around him. It was almost as if there was some sort of fog clouding the air... 

When he left their make shift camp, he headed towards the gunfire but as he got farther away he began hearing sounds in the distance... Coming from every direction. He would hear people shouting and firing weapons, but when he got close enough to where the sound was coming from, he found nothing. Once he heard a woman screaming for help and a child crying. Running towards the sounds of their voices, it sounded as though they were right behind a few pieces of debris in front of him, as he ran around the side shining his small beam of light on the source of the sound, finding a decaying body of a woman holding her child, who's body was reduced to bones and bits of maggot infested flesh as well. 

Creepy laughter could be heard floating through the night air as a deadly silence took it's place, making even the war harden Marine feel a bit uneasy. Tank Dempsey did not believe in ghosts... But this shit was starting to freak him out a little. 

 _What the fuck..._  He thought while panicking slightly and wondering if this was just Samantha fucking with him. _What is goin' on around here..._

"Stupid demon bitch..." Tank growled, regretting his initial decision to leave their camp as he turned around, heading the opposite direction of the decaying corpses and slowly making his way across the deserted landscape. After walking for about ten minutes, he saw a light in the distance and what appeared to be the shadows of two vehicles as the fog began to dissipate. Quickening his pace, he sprinted towards the light, noticing that the edges of the sky were starting to turn light blue, signaling that morning was on the way. 

 _Holy shitballs..._ Tank thought, freaking out a bit as he jogged up to their camp. _Have I really been running around out there all night? It seemed like just an hour or two..._

Birds were chirping and the sun began to rise as Dempsey strode past the Hummer and the Jeep, heading towards the smoldering remains of the campfire where Nikolai was still passed out, face down on the ground snoring. Tank frowned, kneeling down and shaking him roughly. 

"Hey! Idiot!" He yelled, interrupting the Russian's dreams about vodka as he woke up with a grumble, a bit of drool still running down his face. "Where's Isabella?" He questioned loudly, finally getting the Soviet's attention and waking up Brianna and Hanna in the process.

Nikolai opened his eyes, looking around and noticing that the young woman was indeed nowhere to be found. Coughing a bit, he sat up, seeing the mostly empty bottle of alcohol beside him. 

"Ehhh, not sure..." He slurred, trying to recall the events of last night, but having trouble remembering them as a result of his memory being erased and the vodka... Mostly the vodka. "You left... I drank..." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders and feeling sort of guilty while looking at Dempsey. Normally, he really wouldn't care unless it was one of them missing but Nikolai had never seen his comrade so... worried about someone like this. It was very unlike him.

"Shit..." 

 _Goddammit, I tell her to do one thing... "Stay at the camp" I say, but no, she has to go runnin' off..._ Tank thought, gripping his gun tightly at the thought of anything bad happening to her.

"I'm sure she is close by..." Nikolai said, trying to reassure him as he looked around, hoping for some sign of where she was headed. 

A car door slammed as Brianna exited the Hummer followed by Hanna, Shiyla trotting along at her side as the blonde looked around for a moment before frowning.

"Where's Izzy?" She asked, a worried tone creeping into her voice as she stared at Dempsey, who did not want to answer for fear of her crying all over him again.

"She took off." He replied harshly, walking over to the Jeep to wake up Takeo and the doctor while leaving Brianna standing there in shock. 

 _Oh my god..._  She thought, feeling slightly ill as she recalled what had happened only a few short hours ago. 

_It's because of what I said... What if, what if something bad-_

"Hey," Hanna spoke up, laying a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder. "It's gonna be alright... So don't get yourself so worked up, okay sweetheart?" Finishing her statement with a smile, she gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before offering to help her look around for any clues on her sister's whereabouts. 

Sniffling and wiping away a few tears Brianna nodded before walking around the outskirts of their makeshift camp with Hanna and Shiyla, looking for signs of anything.

"Vhat do you mean she's gone?!" Richtofen shouted when Dempsey explained the situation to the him and Takeo. "Vhere vere you both ven she left?" He growled at the Marine and the Soviet, making them both slightly uncomfortable.

"Vodka nap." Nikolai said, expecting his teammates to understand, while Takeo rolled eyes and everyone looked towards Dempsey, waiting for his explanation. 

"I heard voices and gunfire out there..." He stated, gesturing to the outskirts of camp and scratching the back of his head awkwardly as they waited for him to continue. "Heard people screaming but when I got close... I didn't find anything..." He finished looking away and deciding not to go into detail about some of the things he did find... 

"Ooooooh, so I am not zhe only von who can hear zhe voices, jah?" Richtofen chuckled, eyeing up the American as though he were crazy, though the look of anger/annoyance never left his face. 

"Dempshey, you must be going insane othervise you vould not have left Izabella alone vith zhis fool." He finished pointing towards Nikolai, who was currently draining the last few drops of alcohol from the vodka bottle that Hanna had given them.

Dempsey frowned, growling and clenching his fists as he starred down the German doctor. 

 _I may have fucked up but I don't need this kraut bastard telling me off..._  He thought, placing a hand on the pistol holstered on his waistband. Richtofen noticed this and moved to grab his own gun when Shiyla's barking interrupted them both as they heard Hanna yelling. 

"Guys! Over here!" She shouted as Richtofen jogged over, forgetting about his dispute with the Marine momentarily. 

Dempsey spit on the ground where the doctor had been standing, the angry look never leaving his face as he followed him reluctantly, putting away his gun... for now. 

The two soldiers appeared a few seconds later as Brianna picked the Zeus Cannon up off the ground as she looked at them, worry written all over her face. 

"She wouldn't just leave without this..." The blonde mumbled as she looked around desperately, hoping for some other sign that would point them in the right direction.

Shiyla's barking got everyone's attention as she picked up a stick of the ground and placed it at Hanna's feet, nudging it forward with her nose while wagging her tail excitedly. Brianna looked at the dog curiously as Hanna bent down to examine what her dog was trying to show her when she heard the Marine over her shoulder.

"We don't have time for you and your dog to play fetch!" Dempsey said sarcastically, glaring at the girl and her dog.

Hanna stood up, stick in hand, wearing a glare of her own. "Hey, dumbass," She said, earning a pissed off look from the American and a chuckle from Takeo and the doctor. "It's a clue, just look..." Tossing the stick to Dempsey, he examined it noticing that it was burnt on one end. 

 _It was a torch..._  He thought, looking at Hanna and Brianna who had worried looks on their faces.

"Vell, it is apparent zhat she vas taken." Richtofen deduced while clutching his Wunderwaffe and adjusting his cap. "Obviously, whoever took her vas planning zhis, just vaiting for zhe opportune time to strike..."

"Here we go..." Nikolai said in a bored tone, fully knowing what was coming next after being around these two for such a long time.

"Fuck you Richtofen!" Dempsey shouted, raising his Galil and pointing it at the German's head. The doctor smirked, knowing the American was all talk in instances like these.

"Both of you stop it!" Brianna shouted, her voice cracking as she clutched the cannon tightly before continuing. "We need to find her..." She added, calming down a bit and looking at them all with a serious expression. "And we need to work together to do it!" 

She said the last part to the doctor and the American soldier specifically, both of them still giving each other death glares as Brianna couldn't believe how stubborn they could be.

"I agree." Takeo said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Fighting among ourselves is very dishonorable..."

"Can I see that for a second?" Hanna asked, motioning to the Zeus Cannon that Brianna was still carrying. She handed it over, twirling her golden locks nervously and watching as Hanna held the gun near Shiyla, allowing her to sniff it for a second. 

"Shiyla, find Isabella!" 

The dog yipped a few times before running forward a few feet, looking back and waiting for them all to catch up. "Come on," Hanna said while grabbing her Commando. "She's got her scent!" 

Brianna held the air cannon close while running after the female soldier followed by the rest of the group. All of them eager to reclaim their lost comrade...

...

Back in the goddamn Cosmodrome...

...

Isabella blinked a few times, regaining consciousness as she looked around slowly, instantly realizing that she couldn't move. Upon further inspection she noticed she was tied to a chair, her eyes going wide as she tried to get loose.

 _I need to get the fuck out of here..._ She thought, desperately struggling against her restraints as she heard a door open behind her. She froze, hearing heavy footsteps approaching as she turned her head to see who her captor was.

"You!"

"And so we meet again..." Johnny chuckled, walking closer and staring down at her with an amused expression. "I knew we would."

"Johnny?! What the hell!" Isabella shouted, kicking her legs uselessly as she watched the man in front of her laugh. "Untie me!"

"Oh no, Isabella... You've got it all wrong..."

Said woman froze as she watched the dark haired man pull out a syringe, his eyes flashing red for a moment before he placed the needle against her arm. Johnny laughed insanely, continuing his sentence in a much darker tone than before.

"Heh heh... Hehehe... Don't you recognize me?!" He hissed in a demonic whisper, making Isabella scream as he injected the contents of the syringe into it's unwilling test subject...


	14. Women Are Nothin' But Trouble

"Shiyla, are you sure hun?" Hanna asked while staring at the concrete door her dog currently had its paws against. 

The chowchow sniffed the barricades again in response to her question before yipping excitedly and trotting to her master's side. Hanna sighed, looking back at the group before stating the obvious. 

"We have to get through that door." 

Isabella's trail had led them back into the Cosmodrome, down into the Centrifuge Room, all the way back to the stairs leading up to Juggernog until they were met with their first obstacle, a large barricaded concrete door.

Dempsey grunted in frustration while pacing back and forth. "Shit! How the hell are we gonna-"

"Stand back," Richtofen ordered while pulling out his crossbow and grinning wickedly. "Perhaps zhis vill do ze trick..." 

Aiming at the door the doctor fired his weapon, shooting a blinking arrow right in the middle of the barricades as they all waited for what was going to happen next. The arrow attached to the door exploded, sending bits of debris flying and clouding the room with smoke... But the door still wouldn't budge. 

The Marine growled, kicking the door angrily before turning around to face the rest of the group. 

"Now what?" He asked, thoroughly pissed off while gripping his Galil tightly and waiting for someone else to come up with some kind of bright idea...

"We could look for vodka..." Nikolai muttered to himself before he noticed Tank and Brianna both giving him death glares. "Or we could find Isabella first." He added quickly, not wanting to be murdered by those two before he had a chance to consume more delicious alcohol. 

Takeo frowned, shaking his head at the Soviet's lack of honor while Brianna stepped forward to examine the door.

"There has to be another way..." She said, approaching the barricade and placing her hand on the smooth concrete surface. _I wish you were here Izzy..._ She thought, feeling herself getting emotional again. _You always have a plan..._  

Frowning, Brianna realized that things had always been this way between them, even while they were growing up. _Even though I'm the older sister, she's always been the one looking out for me... And I'm always the one who is relying on her..._

"Not this time..." Brianna said out loud, snapping out of her thoughts and holding up the Zeus Cannon while attracting the attention of her comrades.

"Vhat?" Richtofen questioned, totally confused as the blonde backed away from the door and motioned for everyone else to do the same. 

"Everyone get back!" She ordered, a strange look of determination in her eyes as she snatched three grenades from her belt, pulling the pins out before shoving them inside the Thundergun. Eyes widening in disbelief, the doctor opened his mouth to stop her but could only watch as she raised the gun and pointed it towards the door. 

"Vhat are you doing?! Zhat is not ze proper vay to-"

KABOOM!

Smoke filled the small room once again as chunks of concrete could be heard crumbling to the ground. Coughing and swatting at the air in front of her, Hanna squinted, brushing strands of chestnut hair away from her eyes as she raised her gun cautiously, preparing for the worst. Brianna however, seemingly taking a page out of Isabella's book, charged in guns a blazing with the Marine right behind her. 

"Izzy! Where are yo-"

Suddenly, the blonde was yanked down to the ground by Dempsey as the sound of gunfire could be heard in front of them. A stream of bullets hit the wall right behind her as a shadowy figure emerged from the smoke, laughing manically.

"Miss me?" Johnny asked in between chuckles as he aimed his MP5K in the direction of their small group, red eyes glowing beneath messy black bangs. Dempsey stood up, pushing Brianna behind him in the process, as he stared down the younger male in front of him. 

"Where is she?" He hissed through clenched teeth as the rest of the group slowly began to surround the possessed boy, weapons raised and at the ready. 

"It's over!" Takeo yelled while aiming his Browning. "You are outnumbered and surrounded..."

Laughing in response, Johnny stared at the Imperial soldier before smiling evilly and replying. "Over...? This game is only just beginning! Perhaps you'd like to meet our newest recruit..." 

Shiyla growled lowly as he turned around, lowering his weapon and whistling over his shoulder as another figure began walking forward through the smoke.

"Izzy!" Brianna cried, slightly relieved as she saw her sister emerge from the settling clouds of dust while walking forward slowly, eyes shut as she approached Johnny and stopped to stand at his side. 

 _Something isn't right..._  She thought nervously, staring at her sister who had yet to say or do anything. 

"Isabella! What's wrong with you?!"

Brianna watched in horror as Isabella opened her eyes revealing red emotionless pupils as Johnny reached down, taking his time as he grabbed the knife from her waistband.

"You see," He began as he dragged the knife along her collarbone, creating a thin red line as blood began to leak down the front of her shirt. "This would have been so much easier if she had just cooperated with us..."

Though she didn't show any signs of feeling pain from the cut, Brianna couldn't watch him hurt her anymore. "STOP IT!" She screeched as she watched her sister bleeding in front of her. _What am I going to do?!_

Dempsey growled, taking a few steps forward but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Johnny move the knife to Isabella's delicate throat. 

"Now, now..." Johnny teased, wagging his finger at the Marine while holding the blade firmly against her neck with his other hand and staring at Richtofen who looked just as pissed. "You would want my hand to slip, now would you? Hahaha!"

Looking towards the rest of the group, he grinned as he pressed the knife down slightly, drawing more blood as he made his demands. 

"Drop your weapons now! All of you!"

"What did you do to her?!" Brianna screamed, stepping out from behind Tank as she took a few timid steps towards Johnny, noticing that her sister hadn't moved, or blinked for that matter, since she appeared. Laughing again, Johnny smiled at the blonde, intrigued by her forwardness and tenacity. 

"Would you like to see? It's actually quite marvelous what this 115 is capable of..."

"115?" Richtofen murmured to himself, a worried expression crossing his features as he continued to watch the dark haired woman stare at them with a blank expression, almost as if she was staring right through them. 

_Ze element? But zhat is impossible-_

"That's right doctor..." Johnny said, interrupting his thoughts as a mixed look of anger and sadness appeared on his face. "You _would_ know what this element is capable of... Now watch as it destroys you all!" 

Leaning down, Isabella's captor gently moved a stray lock of black hair behind her ear as he placed the bowie knife he was holding in her hand and whispered his next command before disappearing in a flash of red. 

_"Kill them all..."_

Moving for the first time since her abduction Isabella leapt into action, swinging at the first person she laid eyes on, her own sister. Brianna's eyes went wide as she watched her sister close in on her with a bloodthirsty look, something she had never seen from her before as she jumped back to avoid her strike. 

Missing her face by inches, Isabella growled as she quickly stepped forward again, hooking her leg behind her sister's and tripping her, throwing her to the ground instantly before anyone could move to stop her. Isabella raised the knife above her head, grinning evilly as she stared into Brianna's terrified face, ready to finish the job.

"HEY! ZOMBIE GIRL!"

Isabella looked up just in time to see Dempsey diving towards her as he tackled her to the ground, pushing her off Brianna in the process and sending the knife sliding across the floor a few feet away. Rolling on the ground a couple times, the Marine fought for dominance as he wrestled with the smaller woman, his bright blue eyes staring into her fiery red ones as he tried his best to restrain her. 

 _Holy shit, was she this strong before?!_ He thought, struggling to hold her down as she snarled up at him, barring her teeth and looking towards the bowie knife that was a few arm lengths away...

"We've got company!" Nikolai yelled from the doorway on the other side of the room as the moans of the undead could be heard close by. Takeo turned around, facing the semi boarded up window behind him as he shot an oncoming zombie straight in the face, blowing the top of its skull off.

"Scheisse..." Richtofen cursed, picking up his Wunderwaffe and assisting his Russian comrade in covering the door. "Ve need to move!" 

 _Dammit Samantha! Vhen vill you tire of playing zhese games?! Now is just not ze time..._  He thought, frowning as he aimed his weapon and fired a blast of electricity towards an oncoming group of zombies, frying their brains as they dropped to the ground.

"IZZY! Snap out of it!" Brianna called desperately from the sidelines as she and Hanna watched Isabella continue to fight the Marine, helpless to do anything. 

A loud yell pierced the air, getting everyone's attention as Dempsey was knocked back, clutching his arm where Isabella had bit him as she used this opportunity to kick him off her and free herself. Her glowing red eyes locked onto where the knife was still located as she scrambled to her feet and made a lunge for it, her fingertips just touching the edge of the handle...

She was stopped short again however, as the blonde soldier grabbed her leg, dragging her back as he frowned at the possessed look on her face. 

"HELL NO!" He yelled, pulling her back with all his might as she clawed at the ground trying to regain her weapon. "I'm not gonna let you do something you'll regret later!"

"Dempshey! Out of zhe vay!" Richtofen yelled over the sound of gunfire as he laid down his wonder weapon and pulled a syringe out of his doctor bag. Flicking the tip of the needle with his gloved finger, he eyed the purple tinted liquid before staring down at the young woman who was still doing her best to escape. 

_Hopefully zhis vill vork..._

Staring into angry red iris', the doctor took a deep breath, steadying his hand before injecting the contents of the syringe into Isabella's arm, watching with a curious expression as she blinked a few times before passing out.

"What the hell is that stuff Doc?" Dempsey questioned as he watched Isabella's eyes close slowly, feeling her go limp in his grasp.

"A mild tranquilizer..." Richtofen replied in a serious tone as he grabbed his Wunderwaffe and stood up, brushing the dust from his uniform. 

"And you just carry that stuff around all the time?!" The Marine continued, slightly surprised and rather disturbed as he watched the man ignore him as he turned around to face the other women. 

"She's going to be okay, right...?" Brianna asked, staring up at the doctor with a worried expression as Hanna looked towards him as well, fearing his answer.

"Zhat remains to be seen..." He said lowly, glancing at Isabella's sleeping form before adjusting his cap and walking towards the stairs leading to Juggernog. "Only time vill tell. Now all ve can do is ensure our own survival..."

Hanna placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder as she pulled her along towards the stairs. "Come on hun, we've gotta go... Shiyla!" The chowchow barked in response, trotting to Brianna's side and licking her hand affectionately before returning to her master, awaiting her next orders.

"Tak! Nikolai! Let's move!" Dempsey shouted, swinging his Galil over his shoulder and grabbing Isabella before running up the steps after Hanna. He flinched, tensing his arm as he brushed the bite mark, still oozing fresh blood, while looking at the sleeping woman who was to blame. 

 _Tch, Dad was right..._ He thought sighing in annoyance as he chased the rest of the group down towards Pack-A-Punch. _Women are nothin' but trouble..._


	15. Completing the Kassimir Mechanism

The last running zombie fell to the ground as Richtofen sighed, laying down his Wunderwaffe and relaxing for the first time in about an hour. They had been fighting non-stop as wave after wave of the undead poured into the launch facility, assaulting their small group until finally they were able to rest, for a little while at least. 

Takeo and Hanna occupied the crawler, leading it towards the main building as they accompanied each other to get Juggernog, Hanna's dog trotting along after them as they walked up the hill.

Turning towards the Pack-A-Punch machine, the doctor spotted Brianna next to Isabella who was still passed out as he sighed again, getting ready to clean up yet another mess. Everyone turned towards him, remaining silent as he looked at her sleeping form unaware of his audience as he scratched his chin, wondering what the best course of action would be. 

 _Sedation vill not vork as a permanent solution..._  He realized while frowning, realizing that he had a limited amount of time to cure whatever Samantha had done to her. _Zhere must be some vay-_

Richtofen looked up, suddenly aware of the fact that all eyes in the room were on him. "Vhy are you all schtaring at me like zhat?"

"You're the doctor! Fix her!" Dempsey blurted out impatiently, stating the obvious. Brianna turned and nodded, agreeing with him as they all continued to watch him stare back at them, a confused expression on his face.

"Fix me a drink..." Nikolai mumbled, rubbing his temples and ignoring the angry glares from the two blondes in the room.

"Ah, zhat is right. I am zhe only von around here of any use..." Richtofen chuckled, as he knelt down and opened his bag before pulling out some bandages. "All I can do is heal ze superficial vounds..." Eyes widening suddenly, he turned to them all with a sadistic grin. "Unless..."

"Unless what, Doc?"

Richtofen smiled, pulling a scalpel out of his bag while eyeing the shiny blade curiously. "I could perform some qvick brain surgery to see how zhe element is affecting her mind... Perhaps zhat vould-"

"NO." Brianna and Dempsey said simultaneously, making the doctor laugh insanely as he raised his hands in mock surrender. 

"It vas just a joke!" He said, putting the operating tool away and chuckling a bit more before the serious glare they were all accustomed to seeing reappeared.

"No unnecessary operations." Dempsey insisted, giving him an 'I'm watching you' look as he stomped off and slumped against a nearby wall, frown never leaving his face and his stare never leaving the doctor. Richtofen rolled his eyes, laughing inwardly at the American's childish behavior. 

 _None of zhese people have any sense of humor..._  He thought, cleaning Isabella's cuts absentmindedly as he continued to let his thoughts wander. Glancing at the girl's closed eyes, images of when they were open not too long ago flooded his memory.  _Eyes just like ze undead..._ He thought while feeling his jaw clench.

_If Samantha has ze power to use ze element against us... Zhen ve are in trouble..._

Richtofen jumped, preparing for a fight as Isabella twitched, yawning and stretching a bit before blinking her eyes a few times and beginning to wake up. 

 _Oh shit_ , Tank thought, standing up and getting ready to restrain her as Brianna grabbed her shoulders, snapping her fingers in front of her sister's face. 

"Isabella?" She said nervously, watching as her eyes closed again, head turning the other way as she tried to return to dreamland. Frowning, Brianna shook her shoulders gently before an idea popped into her head...

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bacy~"

"Mmmmm," Isabella yawned again as she opened one eye slightly. "...You have breakfast? I'm starving..."

"Izzy! You're back to normal!" Brianna said excitedly, hugging her younger sister and nearly crushing her in the process. "Well, as normal as you can be!"

"Back to normal?" Isabella mumbled, a little confused while rubbing her eyes tiredly. 

 _Come to think of it..._  She thought, actually looking around for the first time and realizing she was in the Pack-A-Punch area. _How the hell did I get down here? And why am I always waking up in unfamiliar places?_

"And hey! What is _that_ supposed to mean?!" 

Struggling to escape her sisters hug of never ending cuteness, Isabella looked around noticing the absence of two of their teammates. "Where are Takeo and Hanna?" Isabella asked quickly, worry creeping into her voice as she waited to hear a response.

"No need to worry about us sweetheart!" Hanna called from the turret just outside the doors to the launch pad, making everyone look in her direction as she continued to walk forward, carrying what looked to be a few bottles in her arms. 

Isabella relaxed when she saw that Shiyla was trotting beside her and Takeo was walking a few steps behind her, carrying a few bottles as well as they walked up to the rest of the group.

"IS THAT WOOOODKKAAAA?1!11one!11eleven!" Nikolai screamed, practically deafening everyone in the room and nearly killing the crawler.

"NO IT IS NOT GODDAMN VODKA YOU ALCOHOLIC!" Tank shouted, holding one side of his head and trying to fight off the headache Nikolai's voice always seemed to give him.

"VILL YOU BOTH SCHLIEßEN SIE AB!" Richtofen yelled, giving them both glares that would make baby kittens burst into flames.

"WHY IS EVERYONE YELLING?!" Isabella shouted, smiling as if she had just joined some kind of yelling game as Brianna covered her ears while giving her an annoyed look. Takeo deadpanned for the nine billionth time and Hanna just stared at the group, wondering what she had truly gotten herself into. 

Recovering from the previous insanity, the Imperial soldier approached Isabella, nodding to her briefly and allowing a small smirk to grace his features for once as he offered her his hand, helping her up and giving her a bottle of the red soda he was carrying. 

"It is good to have you back Isabella-san." He said, popping the top to his own drink and downing it in a few gulps while Hanna passed out the bottles she was carrying to the rest of the group. "How are you feeling?"

"A little confused, I guess..." Isabella replied while staring at the bottle of Juggernog in her hands. "I just woke up and I can't remember anything... I just remember leaving the camp for some reason... I was looking for-" 

Frowning instantly the moment she remembered exactly why she had left the safety of their camp, she looked around the room, locating the source as wide blue eyes met irritated green ones.

"You!" Isabella yelled, pointing an accusing finger towards the Marine, frown still intact on her face. "You just left! And YOU!" She added, casting an angry glare towards the Russian, who was draining the last few drops from his Juggernog bottle. "You just fell asleep! I thought we were all supposed to be keeping watch! You know, working as a team?" 

Crossing her arms, she stared down the two soldiers while she waited for something. An apology, an excuse, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? _I'd take the sandwich..._  Isabella thought longingly, her mouth beginning to water. _I am so frickin' hungry..._

Dempsey frowned, walking away towards the Pack-A-Punch machine as Isabella's scowl intensified as she watched him go. Nikolai just ignored her like usual. 

 _Unbelievable!_ She thought, actually feeling a bit hurt that he didn't even seem to care. _Fine, be that way! Stubborn Marine! Who needs him anyway..._

Turning around she stomped back to Brianna's side, huffing as she leaned against the wall. Her blonde sister sighed, always somewhat amused by her childish pouting as the rest of the group watched her seemingly entertained as well. Isabella spied the doctor looking her way when she thought about the crossbow he still had in his possession.

"Edward." She said, watching as his eyes widened, clearly shocked at the use of his first name. No one ever called him that.

"Jah?" He responded, his voice a little more high pitched sounding than he would have liked it to be. "Vhat is it?"

"You still have that cross bow, right?"

"Correct."

"It needs to be Pack-A-Punched if we're going to complete the Kassimir..."

"Wunderbar! Shall ve zhen?" The doctor exclaimed, extending his elbow like a gentlemen and waiting for her as she looked at him, surprise written all over her face. Shrugging it off, she smiled, walking up to him and grasping his arm lightly as they walked towards the Pack-A-Punch room. 

 _At least someone here knows how to treat a lady..._ She thought, turning slightly as she remembered one more thing they would need. 

"Takeo!" She shouted, motioning for him to follow them with her free hand. "We need an upgraded ray gun too. Plus, it's just a good idea..."

Nodding, the Imperial soldier followed them to the machine just as Dempsey was pulling his upgraded Galil, Lamentation, out of the glowing gears. 

 _Sweet scope..._  He realized, looking through his sights momentarily before turning around to head back to the main room and spying the small group walking towards him. 

 _What. The. Fuck._ He thought, jaw almost dropping as he saw Isabella clinging to Richtofen's arm while they walked up to use the machine. Isabella noticed the way the two men were looking at each other. What they were both thinking was written all over their faces. 

 _Ridiculous..._  She thought, rolling her eyes and stepping away from the doctor, instantly noticing the dissatisfied look he was now giving her.

"...The cross bow...?" Isabella said, smirking slightly when he continued to just stand there and stare at her.

"Ah, right..." He mumbled, shaking his head as he placed the cross bow inside the Pack-A-Punch machine, removing it when it had become the Awful Lawton. The doctor upgraded his Wunderwaffe as well, changing its status to the DG-3 JZ as Takeo walked up to use the machine next. 

He placed his alien weapon on the conveyor belt, watching as the gears turned inside, spitting out the Porter's Ray Gun X2. A darker, sexier version of the original. With all the upgrading taken care of, they made their way back to the other room as Tank continued to stare at Isabella and Richtofen with a 'WTF' look. 

"What's with him?" Brianna questioned, as Isabella just shook her head, massaging her temples. 

_Why meeee..._

"Vhat is our next course of action?" Richtofen spoke up, snickering as he changed the subject. "Ze Kassimir Mechanism is almost complete, jah?" 

Isabella nodded, thinking to herself as she planned out their next move. "Everyone come over here please..." She said while walking to the middle of the launch pad where a rectangular metal grate was located. 

Everyone crowded around, trying their best to fit on the small platform, despite some pushing, shoving and swearing. Finally, with everyone squeezed on, Isabella looked towards the clock on the wall, noticing that it was already counting down. 

"In about two minutes a nuke is going to go off, killing the crawler. Anyone who needs a gun, come with Brianna and myself. We're going to go find the mystery box-"

Hanna paled a bit, not quite believing what she was hearing. "You want to stay?" She said, truly shocked while looking at the green eyed woman like she was insane. _She's had so many close calls... Not to mention, what the hell is so important about this Kassimir thing anyway? Not that it's my place to tell her what to do but still..._  

Sighing, she ran a hand through her chestnut locks, shaking her head slightly. "I think we should find someplace safer to-"

"Where else is safer?" Isabella questioned calmly, interrupting her and hitting her with the hard reality of the situation at hand. "The zombies aren't going to stop until we beat Samantha. Wherever we go, they're just going to keep coming... Keep killing..."

"But what does any of _this_ have to do with, well... Anything?!" Hanna asked desperately, completely lost at this point. "I have no idea what is going on!"

"Good luck keeping up with this story line..." Tank chimed in sarcastically, "It's more complicated than Tak's relationship with that bomb monkey!" 

Nikolai burst out laughing as he turned to give the American soldier a high five, both of them ignoring the irritated/annoyed look the Japanese soldier was sending their way. 

"Such dishonor..."

Hanna just blinked, not understanding any of this as she stared at Brianna, hoping she would say something that made sense. 

"It's a very long story and right now we just don't have the time to explain it all." Brianna said, giving Hanna an apologetic look and hoping she would understand. "When we have a moment, I'll fill you in on everything. I promise." 

Hanna sighed, reloading her Commando while stealing a glance at the clock. "I guess I'll just have to accept that for now, huh?" Shiyla turned her head up at her master, a slight whine escaping the chowchow as she looked both completely adorable and a little confused at the same time.

"I knew you'd understand." Isabella said, grinning as she pulled out her upgraded pistol, Calamity, and prepared for the upcoming battle. "How many shots left in the cannon Bri?" Isabella questioned, getting serious and looking down at her sister, forgetting about the female soldier still watching her curiously as she continued her conversation. 

"Seven." Brianna replied as they both thought the same thing. 

_Would that be enough...?_

Hanna raised an eyebrow before smiling to herself and chuckling. _What a strange girl..._

"You're not going alone." Dempsey said, looking at the two women seriously as he held up his Lamentation, ready for some action. 

"It would be foolish to split up." Takeo said, agreeing with the American for once. 

Hanna nodded as well. "He's right. If we're doing this, we move as a team." 

Isabella smiled at her, nodding once before watching the clock hands meet. The second hand clicked into place as the clock sank back into the wall and a nuke went off, making everything flash white for a second before the now familiar voice of Dr. Gersch filled their ears. 

"Yes, YES! Almost there! She is coming! LUNA!"

"Zhis is so fascinating!" Richtofen said excitedly as he readied his Wunderwaffe. "I vonder, could zhis be related to Hendrick's vork?"

"Let's move." Isabella said, ignoring him as she stepped off the launch pad and walked outside, looking into the sky and searching for the familiar blue pillar of light that signified the location of the box. 

"Stamin-Up!" Brianna shouted, leading the way with the Zeus Cannon. "Come on!" The groans of the undead grew louder as they began piling up in the windows, tearing the boards down with ease. 

 _Shit, they are getting faster..._ Isabella realized as she ran behind her sister, glancing behind her at her comrades to make sure everyone was still together. The group made their way down the narrow corridor to Stamin-Up just as the zombies began breaching the windows... 

"Eat lead freak bags!" Dempsey shouted, happy to be killing something again, as he blasted three zombies jumping through a window with a shower of laser bullets. "OOH-RAH!"

"For the Emperor!" Takeo yelled, joining in and blasting away at zombies with deadly precision as he noticed Isabella run forward, lifting the lid of the mystery box as eerie music began to play. Another undead soldier jumped through the window, taking him by surprise as it staggered forward incredibly fast. 

"Honorless demon!" He cried, aiming carefully before pulling the trigger, sending a blast of red through its face, effectively decapitating it.

"Yes!" Isabella cheered, squinting from the light coming out of the magical container as she grabbed the Matryoshka Dolls floating in front of her. The lid shut quickly as she gambled again, guns changing in front of her face as it finally slowed down, settling on an AUG. Grabbing the gun, she stepped aside as Nikolai gambled, eyeing two undead corpses that had just jumped through a window. 

"Come get some zombitches!" The dark haired woman shouted, raising her gun and looking through the scope before squeezing her finger and watching their heads explode. Smiling at her improving accuracy, she aimed to fire at more zombies as they began pouring in with increasing force.

"A weapon fit for a Soviet!" Nikolai announced proudly, pulling the HK21 out of the box before stepping aside and loading it. "Ugh, it is so heavy..."

"Quit whining!" Dempsey grumbled as he shoved past the Russian, lifting the lid of the box as Brianna covered them with the cannon. "Come on box..." He said, watching the guns rotate before his eyes. "Don't give me any shit..."

"Five shots left!" Brianna shouted as she pulled the trigger, sending a small horde sailing into the walls with a splat as she heard the music of the mystery box playing again.

"This thing again..." Dempsey said curiously, pulling the strange circular device out of the box before the lid slammed shut. 

"That's good!" Isabella said, reloading her AUG as she backed up into him, moving away from an approaching zombie. "We're going to need that shortly-" 

Switching back to his Lamentation, the Marine turned and fired, sending a stream of laser bullets through the undead soldiers decaying skull.

"Nice shot..." Isabella admitted, staring up at him briefly before turning and firing at a zombie coming up through the ground. _Cute and talented..._  She realized, grinning to herself as she watched him firing his gun, muscles tensed in the sexiest way...

 _Too bad he's a stubborn jerk... Ahem! Maybe you should be paying attention to the hordes of zombies trying to eat you alive..._ The more responsible voice in her head said, snapping her out of her fantasies starring a certain blonde Marine. She felt her cheeks go red as she frowned, concentrating once again on the undead as she used the back of her gun to bash a zombie that had gotten too close in the face. The corpse stumbled back a bit before hissing and sprinting forward, only to be silenced by bullets from her machine gun. 

"Sorry, I'm not going to be anyone's dinner..." Isabella promised before moving towards the door to the junkyard. Pulling out a Matryoshka Doll, she tossed it towards the doorway as it bounced a few times before exploding in a mass of colors, sending limbs and other zombie body parts flying. A few crawlers hissed as they inched forward slowly, leaving a trail of blood and their legs behind them.

Hanna approached the mystery box cautiously, lifting the lid as a blinding white light shot out, temporarily blinding her as Shiyla barked, running around at her feet.  _What the heck?_ She thought as a blood stained teddy bear appeared suddenly followed by a child's laughter as the box began to shake and rise into the air. 

"BYE-BYE!" A creepy voice hissed before the box disappeared in a flash, demonic laughter fading into the background as the sound of gunfire took over once again. 

"Bullshit!" Hanna yelled, kicking the spot where the box had been as she reloaded her Commando.

"Goodbye!~" Richtofen sang, cackling madly as he fired his DG-3 JZ into a group, creating a chain of electricity that took them all down instantly. "I could not have made a better veapon myself!" He shouted, giggling at his own joke as he reloaded, seeing another large group approaching from the hallway. 

"I see von, two, th- Oh shit."

Nikolai moved to assist the doctor, bracing himself as he raised his gun, his finger brushing the trigger as he watched the horde get closer. 

"Feel the wrath of the motherland!" He shouted before unloading on the undead, the sound of machine gun fire filling the air and making it impossible to hear. As more bullets flew into the crowd, the Russian soldier watched their heads burst one by one. Blood and zombie bits covered the ground as Nikolai fought his way through the battlefield, abusing the never ending supply of bullets his HK seemed to have as he took down numerous amounts of the undead. 

"They were like dominoes, da?" He joked, reloading as he prepared for another wave, noticing that the zombies were still coming in from every window.

"They just won't stop!" Brianna said, backing up into Isabella as she loaded the last two rounds she had into the cannon. "Are you sure we can-"

"We can do this! We just need to hold them off a little longer..." 

Isabella's eyes widened as her AUG clicked, knowing she was out of ammo as she threw her now useless gun to the side. She pulled out Calamity while kicking a crawler that was at her feet, completely unprepared for what happened next. 

Samantha's laughter echoed throughout the Cosmodrome as a bolt of lightening struck the ground in the middle of the room, getting everyone's attention as their eyes fell on the last thing any of them wanted to see. 

A low growl escaped the giant beasts jaws as its glowing red eyes settled on the group in front of it, barring it's teeth as it lurked forward slowly, stalking it's future victims...

"PLAY NICE WITH FLUFFY!"


	16. Play Nice With Fluffy

_Oh no..._ Isabella thought as she watched the bear sized dog walk towards them slowly, eyeing them all one by one while licking its jaws. 

Hanna and Brianna both had their mouths open, as everyone just stood there, waiting for who would make the first move...

"Wha-What the hell is that thing?!" Hanna stuttered, her grip on her gun tightening as she heard Shiyla growling at her side, all of them continuing to watch the massive hell hound approach.

Fluffy looked around, growling menacingly at each one of them before it's glare settled on Takeo and Nikolai. 

"Oh fuck..." Nikolai muttered while raising his HK and firing directly into the giant dog's head. 

Nothing. 

"What the fuck?! That was great shot!" He complained as he pulled the trigger again, sending bullets raining down on the beast only to have no effect whatsoever. "Bullshit!" He confirmed, turning to fire at the zombies instead, leaving Takeo to handle the mutated animal.

"Your skill in battle offends my eyes Russian." The Japanese soldier said seriously, preparing to attack as the hell hound continued to stalk them.

Samantha cackled in the distance, as the doctor repressed a shiver.  _Zhis is not good..._ Richtofen thought, aiming his Wunderwaffe as he watched Fluffy close in on his comrades. 

Takeo raised his upgraded ray gun, praying to his gods to give him strength as he fired an entire clip into the dog's chest and face, not missing a single shot. Lowering his weapon, he couldn't believe what he saw. 

 _Not a scratch..._ The Imperial soldier realized, truly worried as he reloaded quickly while backing up. If anything, now the beast was even angrier.

Fluffy lunged forward, snapping its giant jaws at the man and missing by inches as he rolled to the side, avoiding the attack. The hell hound struck again, using its claws to scratch Takeo before he could dodge, knocking him aside with ease as it's red eyes settled on Nikolai. The Soviet gritted his teeth, stepping in front of his comrade as he aimed his HK. 

"Out of my way, suka!" He yelled, unloading the rest of his clip into the hell dog as it charged forward, unfazed by the bullets.

Brianna pulled a grenade from her belt, taking the pin out and cooking it slightly before throwing it at the over sized dog and scoring a direct hit. It exploded behind the dog's ears, making the zombified dog whine as it used it's giant paws to scratch the area that had been affected. Growling, and turning it's head in the direction of the blonde, Brianna cheered as it abandoned it's previous targets and headed for her. 

"Time to put you down puppy-dog!" She shouted, raising the Zeus Cannon, praying her idea was a good one. 

 _Two shots left..._  She thought steadying herself as Fluffy came charging towards her. _I hope this works..._

Right before the dog could bite the small woman, Brianna dived to the side, watching as the giant hell hound lunged into the concrete wall behind her. Seeing her opportunity, she aimed for its ears and fired, watching as Fluffy howled in pain, rubbing her head against the ground desperately. A groan behind Isabella, made her jump as she remembered they still had the goddamn zombies to deal with. 

"Shit!" She yelled, moving to the side just in time as the zombie swung down to bite her. Instead of hitting her shoulder, the undead creature crashed to the ground as Isabella quickly stomped her foot against its back and aimed her pistol at it's head. She pulled the trigger, sending the contents of its skull splattering against the ground, before looking up to see Dempsey shooting zombies near the hallway. 

"Dempsey! Throw a Gersch!" She shouted, getting his attention as he stared at her, not knowing what she was talking about. Zombies were still coming through the windows as Isabella turned and fired her pistol at three heading her way.

"What?" Dempsey replied, firing his Lamentation at a small crowd coming through the hallway, stopping when he had to reload. He watched Richtofen take out the rest with a blast of electricity, laughing madly as he did so, before turning back to Isabella.

"The thing you got from the box!" She explained in a rush, taking out two of the undead soldiers before she was forced to reload. The third one was coming in fast. Faster than she expected as she looked up from her gun, finding it hissing inches away from her face. 

The doctor's eyes widened as he heard her scream, watching as one of his minions knocked her to the ground. Raising his Wunderwaffe, he cursed at his own stupidity as he realized if he fired at such a close proximity it would hurt her as well. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as he watched helplessly while the creature went in for the kill...

Isabella got a close look at the decaying flesh falling off the corpse's rotting face, screaming as it swiped her arms away before bending down and aiming for her neck. 

 _Oh my God..._  She thought desperately, staring into the red infected eyes that would be the last thing she would ever see. _I'm going to die! Just like Zack-_

Barking near her face got her attention, as she watched Hanna's dog running towards her at top speed. 

_What the-_

The zombie seemed to be thinking the same thing, as it was momentarily distracted, moaning in confusion as the chowchow leapt onto the undead soldier, sinking its teeth into it's jugular. The corpse fought back as the dog and the zombie tumbled across the ground, hissing and growling in a tangled bloody mess.

"Shiyla!" Hanna cried, abandoning her position as she raced to assist her partner. 

Isabella backed up, stumbling as she tried to get to her feet while looking around for Hanna as she spotted her running her way, Commando raised as she aimed at the fight still going on in front of them. 

"No!" She screamed as she watched the zombie sink it's teeth into Shiyla's leg, hearing her yelp loudly before watching the dog struggling desperately to get away. Hanna's jaw clenched as she aimed carefully, decapitating the zombie and missing her dog by inches as she lowered her gun, watching with a broken heart as her baby tried to limp towards her, collapsing in the process.

"We need to move!" Takeo shouted, blasting zombies out of the way with his ray gun while noticing that Fluffy was beginning to recover.

"Hanna... I-" Isabella started to say, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her before she felt someone grab her from behind before pulling her back. Another zombie had lunged for her, hissing in dissatisfaction when its meal was denied. 

"Sorry freakbags!" Dempsey said, kicking the zombie in the chest before aiming his upgraded Galil and firing, shattering it's skull with laser beam bullets. "This one's off limits!" 

Isabella looked up, staring at the Marine with a terrified expression before glancing back at Hanna who was kneeling next to her dog. 

 _No..._ She thought, feeling her eyes start to water. _This is my fault... I- I wasn't paying attention and now... Look what I've done-_

"Guys!" Brianna called, getting everyone's attention but Hanna's, as she ran towards the group and away from Fluffy who was getting ready to attack. The giant hell hound looked around dizzily, gaining its balance again as it eyed its prey once more, barking viciously before charging forward. 

"Isabella! Do something!"

Firing the last blast of air from the cannon, Brianna aimed for Fluffy's legs, knocking the dog off it's feet and watching as it tripped, falling forward onto its face and looking quite angry as it did so. 

 _That's it..._  Brianna thought, throwing the now empty cannon over her shoulder and racing to her sister's side, seeing the depressed look plastered across her face as she stood there. 

_Now what-_

"Shiyla..." Hanna called, her voice cracking slightly as she nudged her dog, trying not to stare at the gruesome looking bite mark on her leg which was still bleeding. Shiyla whined lowly, obviously in pain and her eyes opened slowly, revealing a bit of red. 

"No!" Brianna shouted, eyes widening as she realized what was happening. "Get her away from-"

Hanna gasped as she tried to back away, but she wasn't quick enough. The tame, lovable and trustworthy companion that was Shiyla was now another member of Samantha's army as the dog lunged forward, tackling Hanna to the ground and knocking her Commando out of her hands as it bit down, sinking its sharp teeth into her arm. 

"Hanna!" Brianna screamed, running her way before Isabella grabbed her jacket, stopping her before she got too close. 

 _I'm not losing you Bri..._  Isabella thought desperately, dragging her back as scenes from her nightmares played across her mind again. _No matter what!_

Dempsey watched in horror as the young woman screamed, the sound of her delicate bones snapping filled the room as the infected dog continued to maul her, making him cringe as he subconsciously pulled Isabella closer. He averted his eyes as he felt Isabella do the same, pressing her face into his chest and gripping his waist tightly as he used his Lamentation to take out any undead headed their way. 

Takeo took out his Browning, aiming carefully, cursing the demons that were the cause of this, before pulling the trigger and sending a bullet through Shiyla's head. For a moment, everyone was too stunned to do anything as they all stared at Hanna's unmoving figure, a now re-dead Shiyla lying next to her. 

Isabella couldn't take this anymore.  _Oh my god..._ She thought, feeling a few tears run down her face as she clung to the Marine next to her, truly afraid for her life. Tank looked down, feeling her shaking in his arms as he felt a little ill as well, still unsure if they'd actually make it out of this one alive. Suddenly he remembered the Gersch device! 

 _We might have a chance after all..._ He realized while pulling the strange device out. _Now how the hell do you use this thing?_

He turned it around in his hands, staring at it with a confused look on his face before Isabella noticed and snatched it away from him. Grunting in irritation, he watched as she flipped the switch on the side before pulling the chord and tossing it down in front of them as a purple light erupted from within it, basking the entire scene in an eerie glow.

"Go back to Maxis, Fluffy!" Richtofen shouted, holding Samantha's former pet back with blasts of electricity while watching as it scrambled to its feet, barking viciously before charging their way. 

Dodging zombies that were being sucked into the black hole, Nikolai jumped, dolphin diving into the purple light, followed by Takeo and Richtofen as Isabella pushed Brianna towards the device, struggling as she went. A few undead hissed by her face as she looked back once as Fluffy closed in on them, seeing Hanna and Shiyla for the last time. 

 _I'm so sorry..._ Isabella thought sadly, feeling a few more tears escape her eyes as Tank pulled her along, both of them jumping into the portal and disappearing in a flash of light.

The giant hell hound growled furiously as it skidded to a stop in front of the portal just as it closed, leaving the remaining zombies stumbling around, confused as well. A demonic voice chuckled in the distance, calming the dog as it whined, annoyed that it's dinner had escaped. 

"Fluffy..." Samantha hissed, viewing the scene from above as the group was teleported to different areas of the map. "Fetch!"


	17. Now Serving Number 115

Samantha's disembodied voice chuckled in the distance, filling the Cosmodrome with the sound of her demonic laughter. 

"Fetch!" She hissed before giggling while watching Fluffy take off, running down the narrow corridor, followed by the rest of the zombies. A few undead stayed behind, making a meal out of their former comrades as Samantha watched the zombies fight over the flesh, laughing wickedly to herself at the gruesome scene. 

"Three down, SIX TO GO! Hehehe!"

...

After a few seconds of weightlessness, the portal opened up, filling Isabella's eyes with purple light as she tumbled out of the black hole, landing on top of the Marine who had come through seconds before her. 

Looking around she saw they were in the starting room again, right under the giant Centrifuge actually. The Gersch device closed behind them as Isabella panicked, wondering where the others where. 

_It's not the best time to be split up considering there's a giant zombie dog roaming around that wants to maul us all..._

"Ahem." A deep voice underneath her said, startling the woman as she looked down, realizing she was still on top of Dempsey, face to face with him now actually. He smirked up at her, his trademark cocky grin on his face as he looked her over, making her blush as she frowned while moving to get off him. 

_Sexy bastard, I'm still mad at yo-_

A growl from behind Isabella made her jump, as she got up quickly, raising her AUG with one hand as she helped the Marine to his feet with the other. Dempsey frowned, getting his serious 'let's kill freakbags' face on while he reloaded his Lamentation, as they both observed the remaining zombies coming through the top door and stumbling down the stairs.

"Shit, what now?" Dempsey asked while aiming his gun and taking out a few undead that were sprinting towards them, grinning confidently as they fell to the ground from multiple shots the head.

"I- I don't know..." Isabella stuttered, shaking a bit as she fired at a few zombies, missing completely. 

 _What the fuck is wrong with me?_ She thought, panicking as she felt her stomach constrict. Suddenly she began to feel dizzy as she watched colorful dots dancing in her field of vision.  _Hell no, I cannot pass out right now..._  

An image of Hanna and Shiyla flashed before her eyes, seemingly waking her up from an impending dream. _No, I can do this... For Hanna and Shiyla..._ Isabella thought desperately, summoning all the strength she had to raise her gun again and pull the trigger, this time scoring a head shot herself.

"That's more like it baby! Oorah!" Dempsey cheered, smirking and looking her way before nodding once in approval.

Isabella blushed furiously, trying her best to fight back a smile. "Just focus on the zombies, would ya?" She said hurriedly, firing into an oncoming crowd and downing several, stopping only when she had to reload.

"Whatever you say, doll face." He practically purred, winking at her and making her cheeks turn redder, if that was even possible. Backing up to where he was standing, near the Centrifuge, Isabella pulled an extra clip out of her pack, discarding the empty one before shoving the full one into her AUG, ready to slaughter more undead. 

 _I wonder where Fluffy is..._ She asked herself, looking up as she noticed another small group of zombies heading towards them.

"Now serving number one-fifteen!" Dempsey shouted, chuckling to himself at his own joke and firing into the crowd madly as Isabella raised her gun to assist him. 

 _I hope the others are okay..._ She thought worriedly, as images of her sister, the doctor and Takeo appeared momentarily in her mind.  _Heck, I'm even worried about that vodka whore Nikolai..._

A few blinking lights and beeping sounds near the lander made Isabella look over as she noticed it was refueling, preparing to take off. _Wait a minute..._  She thought, momentarily confused before the realization hit her. _Someone is calling it! That's it..._  

A few seconds later, Isabella had a plan.

"Tank!" She shouted, getting his attention while grabbing his arm and pointing towards the lander. "Hurry! We need to move!"

The Marine nodded, turning away from the approaching horde of zombies as they both sprinted towards the lander, diving on just before the metal bars popped up and a small explosion knocked the remaining undead back. 

The lander took off, rising into the air and heading in the direction of the junkyard as Isabella looked around desperately for any sign of their teammates. Dempsey reloaded his upgraded Galil while scanning the ground below as well, seeing nothing but hearing the faint sound of gunfire beneath them over the loud roar of the lander.

Something glowing caught Dempsey's eye as he turned slightly, seeing a floating letter heading their way.  _L...? The fuck?_ Dempsey thought, totally confused. Shrugging he reached his hand over the railing, touching hovering icon as they sailed by, resulting in a strange noise. 

_This just keeps gettin' weirder and weirder..._

As the lander began to descend at the station in the junkyard, the sound of a ray gun could be heard, making Isabella grin as she looked around for the Japanese soldier, spying him blasting a few zombies jumping through a window a few feet away. 

"Ah-hah! That is called, a 'reversal of fortune' beast!"

"What up Tak!" Dempsey shouted, making the Imperial jump in surprise, as he turned around quickly, seeing the American soldier and Isabella riding in on the lander as it docked and began to refuel. Takeo nodded to both of them, really quite relieved that he wasn't fighting by himself any longer as he turned around, blasting the last zombie in the legs and creating a very slow crawler.

"So that Gersch thingy spat you out here, huh?" Tank questioned as the Japanese soldier reloaded his ray gun, nodding once before speaking.

"Correct. But I have not seen any of our allies..." He stated in a calm tone, surveying the area for any threats as he lowered his gun, moving away from the crawler and towards the lander as the American soldier followed him.

Isabella let the two soldiers catch up, minding the crawler as she walked over to the giant metal gate with a red star on it, stopping a few steps away as she starred down at the blood soaked teddy bear hidden behind the bars. Kneeling down, she reached forward touching the tip of it's crimson stained ear before a strange sound made her jump as she withdrew her hand quickly. 

_For a second it's eyes looked like... No, I'm just paranoid... It's probably noth-_

"Hey!" Dempsey shouted, interrupting her thoughts as she turned around, facing the two men who were now standing on the lander. "Quit starrin' off into space and let's goooo!" 

Standing up quickly, Isabella jogged over to the lander, standing next to the Marine who looked at her questioningly. Smiling in return and avoiding his gaze, she glanced at Takeo who was looking around, making sure everyone was completely on the platform before taking off.

"Let's get this over with..." Isabella said suddenly, her tone dark and serious, completely different from her normal 'happy go lucky' personality. "I'm going to make Samantha pay for everything she's done..." 

Takeo nodded once, understanding Isabella's thirst for revenge after all the demon girl had taken from her and Brianna. _Noble ambitions..._ The Imperial soldier thought briefly, gaining a slight bit of respect for the young girl as he pressed the launch button. _Honorable..._  Holding onto the console in the middle to steady himself, the lander began to take off as Isabella and Dempsey stumbled a bit, grabbing onto the railing as the strange machinery rose into the air.

"Look!" Isabella shouted, pointing to another glowing icon coming their way. Being the closest, she reached out, leaning over the railing as her fingertips brushed the hovering green letter, resulting in another strange noise.

"L... U...?" Dempsey said, giving her a confused 'I have no fucking clue what's going on right now' look. "What the hell does-"

"We're spelling LUNA, Dempsey..." Isabella grumbled, not even bothering to look his way as she watched the lander approach the main building. "Didn't you listen to Gersch?"

"Well what the fuck is that gonna-"

"I don't know! I didn't make this shit up!" Isabella snapped, turning to stare at the Marine and giving him the most annoyed glare she could muster. Takeo ignored them both, checking his guns to make sure they were both loaded and ready as he wondered slightly if those two would ever let him have five minutes of peace and quiet ever again. 

 _Maybe fighting on my own would not be so bad..._ He realized, dreaming of a world where there wasn't a drunken Nikolai giving him a headache every two seconds, or an insane doctor screeching about his love for blood and kidneys, or an annoying American bragging and shouting 'Oorah!' all the time...

Takeo continued daydreaming about his ideal world with nothing but himself and his honor while Isabella sighed, looking forward again and continuing her conversation with Tank in a softer tone when he didn't say anything else. 

"I just know that this is almost over..."

Dempsey frowned, looking at the blank expression on her face and not liking the empty, emotionless look in her eyes one bit. Moving a bit closer to her, he thought for a moment about what would happen if they actually did defeat Samantha once and for all, readying himself as the lander docked in the Centrifuge Room once again. 

 _Would all the zombies disappear too? What about us? She said this was all a game... So what happens when Isabella and her sister beat the game..._  

"Then what?"

"Huh?" Isabella said, slightly confused about what exactly he was asking her.

"What happens when we beat the game?" He clarified, looking into her green eyes seriously, almost daring her to lie to him.

"Oh..." She said, realizing what he meant as she allowed a sorrowful expression to cross her features. "I don't know... I suppose we'll-"

"I suppose you'll never know..." A dark voice threatened, cutting Isabella off as a creepy laughter echoed across the room, making all three of them jump as they stepped off the lander, aiming their guns around the room and trying to locate the source of the voice. The sadistic laughter increased in volume as glowing red eyes watched it's prey, choosing just the right moment to attack...

"None of you are going to make it out of here alive!"


	18. Don't Piss Off Isabella

"NEIN! DOWN FLUFFY!" Richtofen shouted while blasting the dog repeatedly with his Wunderwaffe from the steps of the stage as it crashed to the ground, stunned momentarily. Nikolai and Brianna were behind him, the Russian soldier guarding the door to PhD Flopper and the blonde covering the stairs leading to the other window.

"I'm running low on ammo!" Brianna yelled, blasting a zombie in the face with her Afterburner and watching it's body fall off the ledge with a crash before stopping to reload. Turning back to the doctor she noticed he was reloading as well while the giant hell hound stumbled to it's feet, angry and ready to charge. 

"Doc!" She shouted, making him look up as Fluffy snarled in his direction before lunging forward as Richtofen's green eyes widened in surprise.

 _I really hope this works..._  Nikolai thought, turning around while ripping three grenades from his belt and pulling the pins out simultaneously. He watched as Fluffy lunged for the doctor, jaws open and razor sharp teeth glistening in the light...

At the last second, Richtofen dived to the right as Nikolai threw the grenades he was cooking directly into the dog's mouth, taking a few steps back, unsure or not if this plan would actually work. Fluffy growled deeply, seemingly unaffected by the bombs as she stalked forward slowly, eyeing all three humans while licking her jowls... 

 _That should have done somezhing!_  

Richtofen cursed, retreating towards the back wall with Nikolai and Brianna, panicked expressions on all their faces as they raised their guns, preparing to make a last stand. Suddenly, the dog paused, tilting its head to the side as a look of confusion appeared on its face, a small whine escaping the monster's jaws before...

BOOM!

The hounds stomach exploded, sending organs and blood splatter flying everywhere as the beast collapsed on the ground in a heap, the light in it's glowing yellow eyes fading slowly... 

"OH GROSS!" Brianna said in disgust, looking down at her hoodie while lifting her arms up and realizing she was now covered in blood.

"VUNDERBAR!" Richtofen squealed, clapping his hands together and giggling like a child. "Ja! Great job Nikolai!"

"What can I say?" The Russian boasted, grinning while puffing out his chest and wiggling his eyebrows at Brianna. "I am amazing, da?"

The blonde rolled her eyes at his drunken antics before attempting to wipe some of the blood off her clothes. Sighing, she gave up on cleaning her shirt and grabbed her MP40, loading her last clip into the gun before turning to the doctor and Nikolai. 

"Let's go find-" 

A high pitched scream cut her off as her face paled, knowing the only person it could be was... 

"Come on!" Brianna shouted, taking off towards the main building, not caring if the two soldiers were following her or not. 

 _Hang on Izzy!_ She thought running forward, kicking a crawler out of her way as she sprinted down the stage's steps with a determined look on her features. _I'm on my way..._

...

Back in the Centrifuge/Starting Room...

...

Johnny lunged at the Marine, tackling him to the ground while Takeo grabbed Isabella by the arm before pulling her to the side. Noticing something shiny in his hand, Isabella squinted, focusing on the small object before realizing instantly what it was he was holding. 

"Tank! Get away from him!"

Frowning, Dempsey looked down at the man beneath him, his red eyes exposed fully while staring into his own icy blue ones and giving the Marine the creeps. 

"Stupid soldier..." Johnny murmured, laughing sadistically and revealing the object in his palm while studying the blonde man's confused expression. "You fell right into my trap..."

"NO!" Isabella shouted, dashing forward while watching in horror as Johnny plunged the needle into Dempsey's arm, injecting him with the same green liquid she was subjected to. 

A second too late, she lunged at the dark haired man, knocking the syringe out of his grasp as the two tumbled across the white tile floor. Landing on top of him, Isabella smirked, raising her fist and bringing it down on Johnny's face, immediately breaking his nose. 

Takeo watched the scene in front of him, stunned momentarily as he continued to stare at the small woman currently beating the shit out of the guy on the floor. 

 _Note to self..._  He thought, watching the vicious beating continue as Isabella stood up, backing away slightly before lunging forward again, kicking Johnny in the ribs and definitely cracking a few. _Don't anger Isabella-san..._

The young woman stepped forward again, her bloody fists shaking as she was about to go in for more, when a hand on her shoulder held her back. 

"Well done..." Takeo said, staring at her proudly while unsheathing his katana. "Allow me to finish this honorless traitor..."

Nodding, Isabella turned around while seeing Dempsey standing up behind them, clutching his arm and staring at the ground, making Isabella nervous as she knew she would regret doing what she did next...

"Dempsey...?" She questioned in a gentle tone while walking up to him quietly, getting more worried by the second as he continued to just stand there, refusing to move or respond. 

"Dempsey... Are you o-"

Jumping back, Isabella barely missed a punch to the stomach as she looked up shocked, understanding what was going on immediately when she saw the red glow that had replaced the blue eyes she was used to seeing, not liking the evil smirk that was plastered on her favorite soldier's face. 

 _Bastard..._ She thought, glancing back at Johnny who was gasping for air while struggling to sit up, the intense pain in his rib cage the only thing keeping him from running away like a little bitch at this point. 

Dempsey chuckled evilly in his deep voice, making Isabella blush slightly while frowning as she tried her best to remain serious.  _Damn... He's sexy even when he's possessed and about to kill me-_

"Isabella... You're going to lose." The man in front of her said suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts as she wondered what he meant by that. Finishing in a voice that sounded more like Samantha's demonic hiss, Tank continued, the demon girl watching from above with a pleased smirk on her face.

"I have the power... I have my army... And now, I've got a new toy to play with! HAHAHA!"

"SAMANTHA, YOU BITCH!" Isabella screamed, looking around angrily while taking out her pistol. "You fucking coward! Why don't you fight your own battles for a change?!"

"Why should I do that when I can get him to do it for me?" Samantha hissed through his lips, infuriating her as he continued their way, the menacing grin never leaving his features.

The Imperial soldier's eyes narrowed as he raised his sword threateningly at the approaching Marine, preparing to fight his former comrade. 

"Takeo," Isabella whispered, tugging on his sleeve as he looked at her with a slightly annoyed expression. "Please..." She begged while staring up at him. "You can't hurt him..."

"That's exactly what I'm banking on!" Samantha screamed, cackling while lunging forward in Dempsey's body as the Japanese soldier shoved Isabella to the side, fighting with the American while trying his best not to injure him. Isabella could only watch, fearing for them both as they continued to swing at each other, missing by inches each time...

 _I have to do something!_  She realized, panicking as she looked around desperately for anything that could help them. Glancing back at the battle, Isabella noticed Tank had now pulled out his knife, the sounds of metal colliding echoing throughout the room.  _Someone's going to get hurt soon..._

Movement to her left caught her eye as she turned, seeing Johnny limping towards the door to Juggernog, trying his best to escape... again. Isabella frowned, darting over to the young man quietly and delivering a kick to the back of his knees before he knew what was happening. 

"Aaahhh!" He screeched, tumbling to the floor face first before gasping as he felt someones boot pressed firmly against his injured ribs.

"What did you do to him?!" Isabella questioned threateningly, grabbing a fist full of Johnny's black tresses while roughly directing his vision towards the two soldiers still going at it. Trying to fight back, the man beneath her growled, refusing to answer her as he continued to struggle, making Isabella lose her patience rather quickly. Pressing her foot down harder against the man's injuries, she smirked inwardly when a pain filled cry escaped his lips. Bending down to whisper in his ear, Isabella pulled out her pistol, placing the barrel against the back of his head before continuing. 

"Tell me what you did to us NOW." She growled, the tone in her voice dripping with venom as she clicked the safety off while pressing her finger against the trigger. "If the information you provide me with is useful... I _may_ let you live. Now what's it going to be?"

Isabella listened carefully to the words Johnny was trying to choke out as she kept her gun ready, never dropping her guard.

"... 115..." Johnny mumbled, closing his eyes and losing all hope for ever surviving as he knew what would happen next. 

"T-The VR-11... I-It's the o-only way... t-to..."

Samantha's eyes flashed red for a moment, looking away from the two soldiers momentarily as she directed her attention to Isabella and her previous puppet.  _EXCHANGING SECRETS, ARE WE?!_ The demon girl thought angrily, grinning a moment later when she realized now she would get to punish them. 

 _Can't have you cheating in MY game Isabella!_ Samantha thought while chuckling as she pointed to the dark haired woman, smiling broadly and barring her teeth as she watched Dempsey's glowing red eyes follow. All while trying to dodge attacks from the experienced Japanese swordsman, a demonic voice filled the Marine's head as his eyes shifted to where a familiar looking woman was crouched a few feet away. 

 _ELIMINATE THE ENEMY!_ The voice in his head screamed, forcing him to raise the hand holding his knife as Takeo noticed he was aiming at Isabella before lunging forward to stop him.

"Your fight is with me demon!" Takeo shouted, kicking the possessed American's leg out from underneath him a second before he threw the blade at it's intended target, resulting in Samantha missing by inches. 

Isabella turned to look at the knife sticking out of the wall behind her, eyes widening in shock as she noticed how narrowly it had missed her.

"Holy shit! That was close..."

Samantha shrieked in frustration, immediately wishing she was still in control of her mortal body so she could throw something angrily right about now. 

"So close... I was so close!" She wailed, feeling exhausted from all the power she was using keeping the American soldier fighting and obeying her orders. "How is it that this damn girl is STILL ALIVE?!"

 _Well, at least she is making things rather... Interesting..._  Samantha realized, noticing that unfortunately, the other part of their group was close to arriving. Sighing, the demon girl decided her best course of action now was to retreat, regain her energy and go on to torture her victims another day. 

 _You're luck will run out eventually Isabella..._ She thought, a sinister grin on her young child-like face as she decided to leave the aforementioned girl with one last message...

Takeo was still wrestling with Dempsey on the ground a few feet away when Isabella felt a cold chill sweep over her as a familiar feeling made her slightly drowsy, her vision blurred as the fog in her head began to thicken. 

 _"What do you think you're doing child?"_ Samantha hissed in her mind, making Isabella panic as she tried desperately to fight it. _"Don't you realize you're still under my control? As long as that 115 is pumping through your blood, you're like my own little doll! HAHAHA!"_ Dr. Maxis' daughter chuckled again before continuing in a more serious, frightening tone, forcing Isabella's finger to tighten against the trigger on Calamity.

 _"Lucky for you..."_ Samantha giggled while watching the look of terror on Isabella's face. _"I have no need for this failed experiment any more..."_

A loud gunshot was heard as the contents of Johnny's head exploded, pouring blood and brain matter across the white floor as Isabella gasped while standing up quickly and stumbling backwards, finally released from Samantha's mind control as she rushed over to her teammates. Dempsey groaned, rubbing his head while sitting up slowly, looking like he had just woken up. 

"What the hell is goin' on?" He mumbled, scratching the back of his head with one hand while Takeo sheathed his katana, watching as Isabella helped the soldier to his feet. "What just happened?"

"Just Sam trying to fuck with us again..." Isabella grumbled, still angry with the dead girl for everything that had happened to them so far. Looking Dempsey in the eyes, she saw that they had returned to their usual pale blue color as she smiled slightly, turning away and fighting a blush before continuing with a small frown. 

"That cowardly bitch Johnny injected you with the element, then Samantha made you fight us..."

"What?!" Tank asked, his eyebrows nearly reaching his hairline. "Injected me with... Elements? What elements-"

"Just von element American..." Richtofen interrupted sarcastically, entering the room through the door leading to Juggernog with Nikolai and Brianna right behind him. "Ze element 115... But I do not understand vhy it caused such a reaction since ve all-"

"What?! Explain this shit Nazi!"

"Tank!" Nikolai bellowed, interrupting their conversation and running over to his blonde comrade before slapping him on the back while laughing deeply. "I have good story my friend! Let us drink and I tell you about how I kill giant hound from hell..."

"Tch yeah, 'cause I weakened it for you first..." Brianna muttered under her breath, watching as the Soviet shot her an irritated glare. Brianna rolled her eyes, sighing in relief while seeing that everyone was okay... For the most part. 

 _Ew..._  She thought suddenly, catching a glimpse of Johnny's headless corpse bleeding all over the place a few feet away from them all. _At least we don't have to worry about him anymore..._

"Ze element 115 is somezhing you should be all too familiar vith Dempshey..." Richtofen sneered, continuing while eyeing the American distastefully. "Ve have encountered it many times before in our travels..."

"Well I don't fuckin' remember it at all..." Dempsey grumbled, rubbing his temples again and glaring at the doctor who was chuckling and muttering something to himself in German. 

_Fuckin' secretive kraut bastard..._

"I hope you're watching Samantha..." Isabella said to herself as she reloaded Calamity, glaring up at the ceiling with a determined look on her face as well as her usual mischievous smirk. 

"I'm coming for you."


	19. Death Is Magic Say Abracadavre Now

"Let's just get this over with..." Isabella mumbled tiredly before facing her teammates and explaining the rest of what they had to do to help Gersch. 

"Someone needs to ride the lander to Speed Cola, then to the junkyard-"

"Vell zhen," Richtofen said, putting away his Wunderwaffe as he headed towards the door, eager to finally complete this... Kassimir Mechanism and perhaps unlock some of secrets to this strange place. "I vill call ze lander to zhe sickle..."

"Sickle, eh?" Nikolai said, belching while raising his eyebrows curiously, slightly interested now that there was a weapon involved. "Sounds cool! I go with you!" 

The doctor rolled his eyes as Nikolai jogged to catch up, the two soldiers disappearing up the stairs to Juggernog as Isabella sighed, continuing with what she was saying previously. 

"Alright, now we just need to-"

"Why don't you two ladies take the lander?" Dempsey suggested, earning confused stares from both Valentine sisters and the Japanese solider as Isabella opened her mouth to argue. "Don't think about it too much baby doll..." Tank stated while shoving them both towards said lunar lander.

Brianna shook her head as Isabella shrugged, smiling to herself at the Marine's chivalrous gesture until she stopped suddenly, remembering something that she had always wanted to do... 

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She whispered quickly, nudging the blonde before she sprinted up the stairs to the room's metal balcony, running towards the blood stained teddy bear that sat on top of a few tarnished barrels. Isabella reached forward, touching it's ear lightly as a strange sound could be heard before she cautiously backed away, heading downstairs to join her teammates again.

"What was the purpose of that?" Takeo questioned, raising an eyebrow and looking at the dark haired girl curiously.

"You'll see~" Isabella sang as she ran up to Dempsey, hugging his arm and making him a bit flustered while grinning at the Imperial soldier. "I _can_ tell you that it's going to be badass, however." 

Looking towards Brianna expectantly, Takeo sighed when the blonde woman shrugged, giving him a look that told him she wasn't about to say anything more on the subject as he laid his Browning on his shoulder, patiently waiting for the lander to refuel.

"I'll see ya out there." Tank said while recovering as he winked at Isabella, giving her shoulders a light squeeze before releasing her as both women stepped onto the platform. Smiling to herself, Isabella blushed slightly while glancing at the American and hearing the telltale beeping noises the lander made before taking off.

"See ya on the other side..." She replied softly, as the metal railing popped up around them.

Dempsey remained silent, frowning in confusion at Isabella's words before noticing Takeo heading up the stairs towards the junkyard/Stamin-Up. Grumbling to himself, he followed after his Japanese comrade, ready to finally be done with this whole thing as well. 

 _We're comin' for ya Samantha..._  Tank thought, smirking to himself while holding his Lamentation and following Takeo down the hallway to Stamin-Up. 

_Better get ready for the bullet storm headed your way!_

...

At the lander near Speed Cola...

...

"Such sharpness... Like my wit!" Nikolai chuckled, grabbing the sickle off the wall and flipping it around in his hands expertly while Richtofen closed his eyes in irritation, shaking his head. 

 _Ja Russian, you're vit is like Dempshey's ability to score headshots... Non-existent!_ The doctor thought, giggling inwardly as his own joke. _Dummkopf..._

A few moments later, the sound of the lander approaching was heard as two figures could be seen riding towards them as the rocket propelled machinery floated closer. Squinting, Richtofen tipped his hat upwards, staring intently at one figure who was waving frantically in the distance. 

 _Vunderbar..._ The doctor thought sarcastically, eyes narrowing as he began rubbing his temples at the thought of being stuck with the drunk Russian AND both insane women. _Vhat did I do to deserve zhis..._

"Helloooooo!~" Isabella sang as the lander descended, docking in the station where Nikolai and the German doctor stood awaiting their arrival. The metal railings went down as the lander beeped a few times, beginning the process of refueling as both women stepped off the platform. 

"Hope we didn't keep you waiting long..."

"Nein..." Richtofen replied, getting everyone's attention as he straightened his uniform subconsciously before speaking again. "But let us be on our vay. Ve do not know vhen Samantha vill choose to surprise us again..."

Nikolai grunted in annoyance as Isabella nodded, agreeing completely. 

 _The sooner we finish this, the better..._ She realized, staring at Brianna who was currently getting a bottle of Speed Cola from the neon green perk machine as the doctor strolled over to grab one himself. _I can't... I just can't watch anyone else die... Even if this is just a game-_

A robotic voice from the computer console snapped Isabella out of her thoughts, informing her of the completion of the lander refueling as she suddenly remembered the importance of their mission. 

 _I know this isn't real... I know it..._ Isabella thought, instantly frowning and correcting herself mentally as she watched Richtofen kick the perk machine in frustration. She suppressed a chuckle before an image of Samantha flashed through her mind. 

 _People have been murdered... By you..._  Isabella thought angrily, swearing she would get her revenge for her fallen comrades. Turning back to the perk machine where her sister and the doctor were currently located, she motioned for both of them to hurry up as the lander beeped a few more times, preparing to head to it's next destination. 

"Come on you two! Let's move it!" Isabella shouted seriously, stepping towards the launch pad with Nikolai a few steps behind her.

"Oooo! Look at all these blinkey lights!" Nikolai mumbled, thoroughly amused while staring at the computer console with a childish grin spread across his face. 

"What does this button do-"

"Nikolai!" Brianna snapped, making him jump as he was about to press said blinkey button. "You can fuck the lander up later! Let's go!"

Grumbling something about vodka and his fourth wife, the Soviet reluctantly moved away from the dancing lights on the console and stepped onto the lander next to the two young women. 

"Hurry up!" Isabella yelled, hands on her hips as a combination of smoke and steam shot out of the bottom of the lander, signifying it was about ready to take off.

"Ja, ja! Von moment!" Richtofen shouted as he watched the green soda bottle drop into his gloved hands as he turned, sprinting towards the lander and jumping on at the last moment. Isabella sighed in relief as the doctor smirked, popping the cap to his beverage and downing the entire thing in a few gulps as the metal railing rose and the lander began to rise into the air.

Chucking the empty soda bottle over the edge, the taller man pulled out his Wunderwaffe, reloading it with lightening speed and tossing the used up bulbs over the edge as well before opening his mouth to speak even faster. 

"Zhis drink is mein favorite, I cannot express how much I enjoy it's invigorating taste and exceptional finish... Too bad I zhink ze active ingredient rots your mind! Nyahahaha!"

Isabella giggled, smiling at the crazy doctor before turning her attention in the direction they were currently heading, seeing a glowing icon approaching slowly in the fog. 

 _I won't be able to reach it from over here..._ She realized, staring at Brianna and Nikolai who were on the other side of the lander, closer to completing the last step of this godforsaken easter egg. 

"Brianna-"

"Got it Izz." The blonde women replied, knowing what her sister would ask before she could even state the question. Leaning over the railing, she reached for the glowing letter drifting closer as they continued on their route to the junkyard. _Just a little father and I've got it..._ Brianna thought, grinning as her finger tips touched the golden letter 'A' as the lander jerked to the side suddenly. 

 _SHIT!_ Bri thought, losing her balance and falling forward about to flip over the railing before a strong hand grabbed her, yanking her back.

"Be more careful, da?" A deep voice above her chuckled, as the blonde woman tried desperately to calm her racing heart.

_Whoa, that was... Way too close..._

"T-Thank you... Nikolai..."

"Eh? Uhh, don't mention it... Just um..." The Soviet stuttered, scratching the back of his neck nervously as the lander passed over Stamin-Up. "Just bring me some vodka! I'm starting to sober out..."

Brianna deadpanned, sighing heavily as the lander descended, docking at the station in the junkyard as Dempsey and Takeo could be seen standing near a strange piece of machinery with four white lights lit up on one side of it. The soldiers looked back as the sound of the metal railings retracting could be heard, revealing their other teammates.

"Check this out Izzy!" Dempsey shouted, motioning for her to come over as she stepped off the lander and walked towards the middle of the room where a strange white orb was glowing. 

"What the hell is thing thing?" The Marine questioned, pointing to the light shinning from the ground as everyone proceeded to stare at Isabella while waiting for an explanation.

"Hand me a Gersch Dempsey, would you?" Isabella questioned sweetly as she watched the American soldier reach into his pack before pulling out the strange circular device. Tossing it to her, everyone watched as she activated the device, dropping it on the ground in front of her where the small light was coming from...

The room was bathed in a purple glow as the black hole opened up, activating the fourth part of the Kassimir Mechanism momentarily as the lights in the room got brighter for a moment, some of them bursting from the abrupt power surge, before going out completely as the portal closed.

"How exciting!" Richtofen giggled, clapping his hands together a few times before shouting in his high-pitched voice. "JOY!"

"Shut up sourkraut!" Dempsey growled, losing his patience with this whole thing rather quickly. "Izz, was that supposed to happen?"

"Um, well..." She said hesitantly, watching as everyone looked at her expecting an answer. "I think-"

"You think?!" Brianna questioned, becoming upset at the fact that all their struggles, all their losses... Might have been in vain. "Isabella, you'd better be right..." The blonde woman almost threatened, becoming slightly panicked at the developing situation. 

"We can't afford to start over! We-"

"I KNOW BRI!" Isabella screamed, finally fed up with the responsibility and pressures of leading everyone. She was not going to put up with her sister's smartass comments on top of it... 

"Don't you think I'm trying my best?!" Isabella shouted, stepping closer to her sister who was staring back at her with wide eyes, shocked at her change in attitude. "I didn't ask for this! So why don't you consider that before you-"

Isabella stopped yelling mid-rant, hearing an unusual sound in the background as Brianna continued to stare at her, incredibly confused. Sighing, the blonde girl knew her sister was right. 

 _It's not all her fault..._ She thought, realizing the truth of the circumstances. _I know I'm just taking my anger out on her because of what happened..._

A faint beeping could be heard in the distance, gaining the group's attention as the power began restarting slowly, returning light to all the rooms in the Cosmodrome. 

"That's it!" Gersch's ghost-like voice said as they all looked in the direction of the sky, not quite sure how you would go about addressing a disembodied voice. "You're so close! I just need more power!"

"You already have zhis much power und you vant more?" Richtofen questioned, quite surprised and thoroughly amused by his fellow scientist. "I like ze vay you think..."

"Okay guys," Isabella stated, the serious tone to her voice sounding a bit unusual on her. "I'm not sure what will happen after we do this..." She admitted, looking at her comrades with an unreadable expression as she glanced at her sister, tossing her the Matryoshka Dolls before continuing. 

"As far as what I know about... These things..." She said hesitantly, unsure of how to approach the awkward subject. "This is it. The last step..."

Dempsey frowned, wondering to himself what would happen to the two girls they had all grown rather fond of. 

 _I wonder if they'll get sent back to their time or whatever..._ He thought, feeling his stomach twist a bit at the idea of the raven haired woman leaving. _I guess we'll just see what happens..._

Isabella walked up to the large metal gate on the other side of the room, touching something behind it's bars before returning to the group as an eerie tune began to play all around them.

_Here we go..._

"Everyone knows what to do, right?" She questioned, pulling out her Zeus Cannon and stepping towards the dim light on the ground in preparation for the final step in activating the Kassimir Mechanism.

"I'm ready." Brianna said, Afterburner in one hand and explosive Russian dolls in the other.

"Da..." Nikolai grumbled while reloading his HK, muttering something to himself about vodka and needing more of it.

"Hai." Takeo confirmed, nodding slightly while pulling out his ray gun and making sure the clip inside was full.

"Ja, let us begin!" Richtofen cheered, loading an explosive tipped arrow into the Awful Lawton before grinning wickedly.

"Let's get this done." Dempsey growled impatiently, aiming his upgraded Galil towards the door leading to Stamin-Up where the few crawlers they had left were finally making their way towards them. The Marine scoffed, eyeing the undead through his guns scope before pulling the trigger. 

 _I gotta hand it to ya zombie, you've got no quit in ya!_ He thought, chuckling at his own joke before watching as their heads exploded. 

"Ooo-rah!"

As the music began to get intense, Isabella nodded to Dempsey, signaling to him that it was time to begin. Activating his last Gersch device, he tossed it on the ground in the same place as the first one, watching as the room and it's occupants were bathed in a purple glow once again. 

"Now!" Isabella shouted, moving her finger to the trigger on the Zeus Cannon. "Open fire!"

 _I... Can see the damage that I~_  
_Am causing you is so benign... You want me to be gone~_  
_But I have just begun~_

All at once, everyone fired their weapons at the black hole, hearing something that sounded like it was powering up slowly in the background. Isabella fired a full clip into the portal, reloading quickly as Brianna tossed the Matryoshka Dolls into the violet light, resulting in an explosion of colors. Red blasts from Takeo's ray gun could be seen hitting the device as he fired constantly until his clip was empty as well. Laughing insanely at all the chaos, the doctor cackled again loading another explosive tipped arrow into the crossbow before firing.

 _I don't feel like I am real... But I know, it's all imaginary~_  
_Are they real? And do they feel... Is all the pain... Just inside my head~_

Suddenly a white light erupted from the Gersch device as everyone paused, listening as said scientist's ghost-like voice could be heard.

"Ah yes, I'm free! I cannot thank you enough for releasing me from this horrible place!" A small glowing orb floated towards the sky, disappearing into the clouds as the portal closed.

"Hey wait!" Nikolai shouted frowning, "You didn't bring me any vodka!"

 _It's all inside my head~_  
_It's just inside my... It's all inside my... They're all inside my~_  
_I see them always but they're all inside my head... All inside my head~_  
_They're all inside my head~_

The lyrics of the song echoed through Isabella's mind, making her wonder whether or not there was any truth hiding behind them. She'd heard the song before, the words being sung always causing her to think deeply about the story behind the game as she imagined what might cause those around her to make the choices they did...

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Samantha screamed, making everyone jump as the ground beneath them started to shake and crumble. 

 _Oh Scheisse!_ Richtofen cursed, gripping his Wunderwaffe nervously.  _Zhis is not good..._

 _It's killing me to see I'm killing you~_  
_Death is magic, say Abracadavre now~_  
_You see me now you don't cry when I am gone~_

Suddenly lightening began to strike around the room, draining the color from the walls as Samantha's demonic laughter could be heard before everything went white for the team of zombie slayers...

 _These shackles they come with certain opportunities~_  
_They won't let me get away... But they show me we're the same~_

The song faded away into the distance as well, as Samantha's harsh whisper was the last thing they all heard before blacking out.

"COME FIND ME!"


	20. Call of the Dead

_What the... Where are we?_ Isabella thought, opening her eyes and taking in her surroundings. 

 _Fuck it's cold..._ She realized as goosebumps began to form on her exposed arms. Trying her best to push herself up, a groan close to her got her attention as she looked around, spying Nikolai a few feet away. She watched as he tried standing up, only to stumble forward, falling flat on his face as the effects of the teleportation were obviously still too much for him. 

"Fuck!" He shouted, landing on the concrete floor loudly and waking the others.

Isabella sat up, still feeling a bit nauseous as she watched her comrades wake up slowly, apparently feeling not so well themselves. 

 _Poor Takeo..._ She thought, watching the Japanese soldier's pale face as he struggled with the smallest movements. Richtofen, seemingly less affected by the sickness than everyone else, stood up shakily and made his way to the teleporter's control panel while mumbling to himself in German.

"Where the fuck are we?" A deep voice growled behind Isabella, making her jump slightly before she recognized the raspy tone. Turning around, she saw Dempsey doing his best to stand up on shaky legs, his face still a bit pale. 

"I don't know..." Isabella admitted, confused for once and not recognizing this room they were in from any previous zombie game her and Brianna had ever played. Brianna yawned next to her, waking up as she grabbed onto her sister's shoulder for support, blinking a few times before speaking. 

"I-Isabella...? Did we do it? What happened...?"

"I'm not sure..." Isabella answered honestly, turning to her sister and leaning in to whisper in her ear before continuing. "Bri, do you recognize where we are...?"

Brianna paused, looking around the small room they were in. The walls seemed to be made of metal... No windows and just one metal door that was currently shut and missing any kind of handle. 

 _That could be a problem..._ Brianna thought, continuing her inspection as her eyes caught sight of the teleporter in the corner. Other than that, there really wasn't much else in the small space. A desk with some papers on it, a filing cabinet and a single wooden chair... 

"No..." Brianna said after a moment, thinking back on all the previous maps they had played. "I've never seen this room before..."

The faint sound of footsteps on the other side of the door got everyone's attention as they all turned to stare in the direction of the noise.

"Hey? Hey!" Dempsey spoke up, walking over to the metal door and banging on it with his fist. "Is there anyone out there? We're stuck in this room!"

"Hello?" Nikolai shouted, joining in on the conversation and stumbling towards the door. "There is a Russian stuck in a room! This is not good!"

Richtofen sighed as he stepped out of the teleporter and moved towards the door as well, noticing the small control panel on the wall in addition to what seemed to be a small delivery tube... 

"Excuse me," He said, tapping on the door's metal surface a few times before continuing. "Is zhere anyone out zhere zhat vould be villing to help? Hellooo?"

The sound of metal colliding with metal could be heard suddenly as everything went dark. 

"I'm blind! I'm blind in my eyes!" Nikolai cried, panicking as he waved his arms around in front of his face, accidentally swatting Brianna in process. 

"Ouch! Watch it Nikolai!" She hissed, rubbing her nose as she felt around for a place to sit.

"Holy shitballs, me too... What did you do Richtofen?!" Dempsey growled, accusing the doctor while eyeing the blackness in front of him with a menacing glare. He jumped slightly, backing up into the wall when he felt someone touch his arm. 

"It's just me..." Isabella whispered, pressing herself against the Marine while hugging him and taking advantage of everyone's inability to see. "I'm glad you're okay..." She went on, running her hands up his sides and feeling his muscles twitch at her touch.

Dempsey smirked down at the young woman in his arms, feeling his body heat up while running a hand through her messy hair before whispering back in a more seductive tone. 

"You've got nothin' to worry about..." He promised while pulling her against his chest firmly, silently thanking the lighting situation at the moment, relieved that it was currently hiding the red tint on his face... and the noticeable bulge in his pants.

"I did nozhing!" Richtofen argued from across the room, defending himself as he stood up, dusting himself off before grabbing around in the darkness and looking for anything that could help them. 

"Vhere's the lightsvitch?" He mumbled to himself while continuing to move forward, searching around until his hand brushed against something hard- 

"Oh! I think I found a lever! Perhaps zhis vill turn on ze light-

"Er, AAH! Let go, that's... not... a... LEVER!" Dempsey snarled, slapping the other man's hand away from himself roughly. "Richtofen!" 

The doctor cackled, letting out a nervous laugh before becoming serious again. "Shh! Did you hear zhat?"

Isabella grinned wickedly, an evil idea entering her mind. _I might not have another chance to do this..._ She thought, nodding to herself and making up her mind as she reached forward, placing her small fingertips lightly against the doctor's ribs... 

"Nyyyyaaahh!" Richtofen screeched, backing away immediately and trying his best to slap the offending hands away to no avail, as he realized who his attacker was, hearing her telltale giggling after a few moments.

"HAHAhaHAhaha! Nein! Z-Zhis is not fair!" He choked, continuing to back up as he tried to get away, tripping over Brianna's outstretched leg in the process. Green eyes going wide, he reached forward instinctively as he began to fall backwards, grabbing whatever he could and bringing it down with him.

Isabella gasped, crashing into the doctor's chest as they collided with the floor, the air rushing out of her lungs momentarily and making her cough a few times before she burst out laughing. 

 _Verdammt Izabella! Vhy can you not be serious for vonce?!_ The doctor thought, thoroughly irritated as he pushed Isabella to the side, grabbing his hat before standing up.

"Um... You guys having a party in there or something?" A male voice from outside the door said, getting everyone's attention as they all froze, staring in the direction of the voice as muted laughter could be heard in the background.

"Uhh... Sounded like someone outside..." Nikolai chimed in, thinking about his real priorities before shouting again. "Hey, you! Hey! I need vodka-"

"NIKOLAI!" Brianna shouted, finally losing her patience. "If I hear the word vodka one more fuckin' time... I... I just can't be held responsible for what I'm going to do to you!" The two argued back and forth while everyone else rolled their eyes, concentrating again on the strangers outside.

"Hello? Could you help us? Zhere must be a blown fuse or something... It's dark in here..." Richtofen whined while the sound of Takeo throwing up in the corner made everyone's stomach turn. 

 _Oh no..._ Isabella thought, feeling a bit queezy herself now as she tried her best not to think about it. _Ew, ew, ew..._

Dempsey sighed in annoyance, slightly disgusted as he realized what just happened to, or rather all over, his boots. "Oh man, that's wet..."

"Sure, why wouldn't we help some evil sounding strangers?" A sarcastic, obviously female, voice from outside the door said as the footsteps could be heard walking away. "I think I saw a fuse upstairs..."

 _Great..._ Isabella sighed, burying her head in her hands and feeling incredibly useless. _I have no idea where we are... Samantha, you're a cheating bitch..._ She thought while frowning, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself for warmth as everyone waited for whoever was outside to return with the fuse. 

A few moments later, footsteps could be heard again as well as a few noises outside the door before the lights flickered on, returning power to the small room they were in.

"Ah much better, now I can see ze problem..." Richtofen said, avoiding Takeo who was still slumped in the corner and approaching the teleporter before stepping inside and messing with the controls. 

"We must have gone too far into ze future... Look, ze teleporter is completely broken. Ze time triggers are damaged... Ve'll have to reboot ze-"

"The future...?" Isabella whispered to herself, wondering exactly how far forward they had gone.

"Wait, you took us here on purpose?" Dempsey growled, becoming suspicious of the doctor's plans. "Where are we?!"

"A better qvestion Dempshey," Richtofen replied in a calm tone. "...Is vhen-"

"Oh! Look at this blinkey light!" Nikolai chuckled, interrupting them both while extending his hand towards the shiny object. 

"What's this button do...?"

"Nikolai, NOOOOOOOO!" Richtofen screamed, but it was too late. A high pitched beep was heard before red laser beams shot across the room, boxing them in, but luckily missing them all. 

Isabella's eyes widened as she glanced to her left, noticing a beam a few inches from her head. Glaring at Nikolai, she frowned, giving him a 'WTF' look before staring at Richtofen who looked very irritated as well.

"Oohhh great Nikolai, you just activated ze MDT security system."

"Good!" The Russian argued, crossing him arms and glaring at everyone in the room, daring anyone to say anything else as the doctor rolled his eyes, sighing before turning around to face the door again.

"Excuse me! You outside, ja... Ze handsome von... Ve need you to locate ze power sources of ze security system. Zhey look like little half domes vith a hole on top... kinda like a big..." Richtofen paused, thinking for a moment before continuing. 

"...Forget it. If you destroy zhem, it should shut down ze security system."

"Fine!" The woman's voice said sarcastically from outside before multiple footsteps could be heard walking away. "Not like we don't have our own problems to deal with..."

 _Tch, what a bitch..._ Isabella thought, frowning as she struggled to remember why that woman's voice sounded so familiar. Glancing at her sister, she had a confused look on her face as though she might be wondering the same thing.

"At least this force field is good for something..." Dempsey said after a few minutes, glaring at the German soldier across the room and breaking the silence. 

"...Keeping me away from 'Mr. Touchy Feely' over there."

Snickering could be heard across the room as Richtofen frowned, glaring at the American and the Soviet who were openly laughing now. "Oh vith situations like zhis it makes me vish I hadn't erased zheir..." The insane doctor paused, looking around the room at everyone who was now staring at him suspiciously. 

"I mean... force field, force field~ schtuck behind a force field~..." 

Isabella rolled her eyes. _So secretive..._ She thought, eyeing the man who was now mumbling to himself in the corner. _How can I really trust him..._

Another high pitched beep was heard before the red beams disappeared, deactivated along with the rest of the security system as the feminine voice on the other side of the door could be heard once again.

"There! We did what you wanted." She said, an irritated tone lacing her words. "Now are you going to help us or not?"

"What the fuck do you want us to do if we're trapped in this room lady?!" Isabella snapped, tired of people always expecting so much from them. "Get us the hell out of here and maybe then I'll lend my services to your pathetic team..."

The woman outside the door gasped, sounding outraged at her remark. "WHAT? You little-"

"Izzy!" Brianna said in a harsh whisper, smacking her in the arm lightly before continuing. "We need their help! Don't piss them off!"

"Fuck them!" Isabella shouted, standing up and walking towards the small desk by the teleporter. "And fuck this stupid game!" She continued, kicking the small wooden chair and sending it flying into the desk next to the teleporter, scattering papers across the room in the process. 

"Screw you Treyarch for ever creating Nazi Zombies!"

Everyone looked on helplessly/slightly confused, except the few people in the room who knew the real story about the girl's pasts. The group remained silent as they watched the young woman have a small melt down, her emerald green eyes glistening with unshed tears as her hands began to shake. Suddenly laughter could be heard from outside the door as one of the male's spoke up. 

"Treyarch? You mean the guy that commissioned us to make this movie?"

"Hey! We better still get paid for that..." Another male voice said in a Mexican accent, before the woman cleared her throat, interrupting them both. 

"What does that matter?" She shouted, still irritated and probably ready to swear off helping them all for good. Isabella froze suddenly as it hit her. The reason why her voice sounded so familiar... 

 _Ohmygoodness..._ She thought, panicking slightly.

"I know this might be a weird question..." Isabella said, still a bit unsure. "But are you Sarah Michelle Gellar...?"

"What? Well, yes... but what does that-"

"What year is it?" Isabella asked desperately, cutting her off as she waited quietly for the answer.

"Um, 2011? Duh! Are you stupid or something...?" Sarah replied sarcastically as the groans of the undead could be heard, along with the sound of gunfire, on the other side of the door.

"Shit! He's coming this way!" One of the men warned as more gunfire could be heard before an intense roar shook the room like some kind of mini earthquake. 

"Run upstairs!" Sarah shouted, firing at zombies as she ran towards the steps leading to the bottom floor of the lighthouse. "I'll lead him back to water!"

"I'm goin' with ya!" Someone with a more southern accent yelled before another roar made Isabella cover her ears as the sound of gunfire and static could be heard fading away. After a few moments, silence filled the air once again as everyone remained quiet, glancing at each other, unsure of what had just happened.

"2011!" Dempsey repeated, completely shocked as everyone in the room wore the same expression.

"This is the time that we're from..." Brianna said suddenly, panicking a bit and glancing at her sister who seemed just as worried. "But what the hell went wrong...? There weren't zombies when we left..."


	21. 99 Shots of Vodka, 99 Shots of Glee

"Ah yes... Takeo...?" Richtofen questioned, "Can you hand me zhat screwdriver-"

The sound of puking could be heard from the corner of the room as Dempsey scrunched up his nose while looking away.

"Ok, ew."

The doctor sighed. "Is zhat all he's going to do zhis trip?" He said tiredly, standing up and grabbing the tools he would need to fix the teleporter himself.

"Oh, I have such a headache... I need vodka!" Nikolai complained, earning a glare from Brianna as Isabella remained quiet, thinking about what could have caused a zombie outbreak in their time. 

 _I don't think us being in the game could have affected things that much..._ Isabella wondered, having a hard time believing this was actually happening. _There must be another reason for..._ Suddenly she stopped, eyes widening as she put all the pieces together. 

_We're still in the game-_

"Now ain't the time for drinking, Nikolai-" Dempsey argued loudly, only to be cut off by the Soviet. 

"I heartily disagree!" Nikolai shot back while searching through the room's filing cabinet and desk drawers, looking for anything alcoholic. "Now is perfect time for drinking..."

"Ja, vodka..." Richtofen mumbled to himself as Nikolai and Dempsey continued to fight in the background. "Zhat vill give me ze distraction, er I... I mean... Good idea!" He said suddenly, noticing the suspicious glare Isabella was sending his way.

"See Tank? It always good time for drinking, eh?" The Soviet reasoned as he gave up his search, slumping against the wall with a grunt and looking rather pathetic. He held his hands out in front of him, staring at them for a moment before speaking again. 

"My eyesight is clear, my hands do not shake... you guys..." Nikolai said, looking at everyone in the room with a panicked expression. "I-I think I'm... SOBER!"

Dempsey rolled his eyes as Isabella laughed to herself, looking at the Russian's serious face of concern as well as her sister's irritated glare. 

"I'm going to need a drink if I have to stay in this room much longer..." Brianna chimed in, sighing in annoyance as her sister continued to chuckle.

"Zhere couldn't be anything left to drink around here, could zhere?" Richtofen said curiously, speaking to himself as a noise on the other side of the door got everyone's attention.

"Hey, we're back!" A male voice said, sounding a bit out of breath. "Sorry about earlier! We had to lead Ol' George back to water to calm him down..."

"What?" Dempsey said, completely confused.

"Something happened to our director and now he... Stalks us... But we can't kill him." The other, older sounding male explained, thinking about how weird this must sound to the strangers behind the door. "All we know is the zombies took him and when he came back... He was a monster."

"And he's invincible or some shit!" The male with the southern accent added before shooting a few stray zombies that were trying to come through one of the windows. "Don't mess with me boy!" He drawled before blowing their heads off with his pistol.

 _Zhe 115 is mutating... Just like Maxis said it vould..._ Richtofen realized, listening in on their conversation and thinking back on when they had first began testing on the element. _Verdammt! He vas right..._ Unsure of exactly how he felt about that, he thought back on previous instances where the element was involved. 

_Zhat vould explain ze effects it had on Izabella und ze American as vell..._

"Anyway," The elder of the two men continued, apparently oblivious to the group's confusion. "We found this laying around outside and since none of us drink..."

Nikolai's head snapped up at the mention of alcohol as a few beeps could be heard on the other side of the door before a whooshing sound, as a bottle of vodka dropped into room via the door's deliver tube.

"Dankeschön freund!" Richtofen shouted in the direction of the door, quite surprised at this turn of events. 

 _Vunderbar!_ The doctor thought joyfully as he watched the Russian soldier snatch the bottle from the tube before hugging it affectionately. _Just ze distraction I need for ze final schteps of mein plan..._

"Nikolai is so happy! Everybody drinks!" The Russian soldier shouted, throwing his hands up in the air with a childlike smile plastered across his face. Amused laughter could be heard on the other side of the door as well as the muffled sounds of a gunfire before another roar shook the ground once again. 

"Aw shit, George is back!" One of them yelled worriedly as the sound of stomping drew closer. "We gotta move!"

More gun shots and a few explosions were heard before the two men ran past the giant metal door, shouting as they both sprinted away up the stairs. "We'll be back! Don't worry!" The older man called over his shoulder while following his other comrade to where the rest of their team was located.

Isabella sighed, contemplating the situation they were in this time as she stood next to the Soviet, watching him rip the seal off the bottle before unscrewing the cap and sniffing it's contents. He grinned, taking a swig before shaking his head and stumbling back a bit at the taste. 

"Da, this is good stuff!" Nikolai announced, taking another swig before noticing Isabella eyeing the bottle of vodka in his hand curiously. 

 _Well, not getting drunk isn't going to fix anything..._ Isabella reasoned, looking for any excuse to escape the stress of what they were all going through.

"Careful," Nikolai warned, handing her the bottle and eyeing the young woman as she tilted it back with two hands, getting a small taste. "Is not fruity vodka made for leetle girls..."

Isabella frowned, trying to keep a straight face as the liquor burned it's way down her throat to her stomach. 

"Oh yeah?" She challenged, not about to be underestimated. "I can handle it... So don't worry, okay?" She finished confidently, taking another painful swig as she tried her best to pull off a cocky smirk. The Russian soldier laughed, patting Isabella on the back roughly. 

"That's the spirit!" He shouted, snatching the bottle back and taking another swig before passing it to the Marine, who looked at it questioningly. 

"Come on Tank," Isabella said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't be lame..."

"Fuck it, why not?" Dempsey sighed, grabbing the bottle from Nikolai and taking a generous swig before passing it back. "Oo-rah! That stuff's alright..."

"Brianna?" Isabella questioned, offering the bottle to her sister after taking another small sip. 

"Nah, I think I'll pass..." The blonde woman said, shaking her head as Isabella shrugged, handing the bottle back to the Soviet.

The three continued to drink as Isabella glanced back at their teammates momentarily. Brianna was sitting on the floor looking bored, Takeo was still looking rather pale in the corner and Richtofen... 

 _Probably plotting how to kill us all in our sleep..._ Isabella thought irritatedly, glaring at the doctor who was across the room working on the teleporter. _I just feel like he's up to something other than what he's telling us..._

Sighing heavily, she returned her gaze to the two intoxicated soldiers in front of her as she attempted to become inebriated herself. After about an hour, the bottle of vodka was more than halfway gone and so were the few who consumed it.

"Come on Rechtolfen," Tank slurred, chuckling as he pronounced the doctor's name horribly wrong. "It's singin' time..."

Isabella burst out laughing as she saw said doctor's head pop out from the other side of the teleporter. The look of confusion on his face was priceless. 

"Vhat?"

Brianna rolled her eyes at their drunken antics while Takeo stayed far away, the mere smell of the alcohol in the air making him feel queezy...

"Ahhaii, I feel like dancing with third wife, like she is doing the Troyka with me!" Nikolai said abruptly, getting Dempsey's attention as he forgot about the crazy doctor. 

"Wait, isn't the Troyka that dance that needs three people?" He questioned, waiting for Nikolai to explain.

"Yeah, but third wife big woman, heh, she could do both parts!"

"Ew." Isabella slurred, shaking her head a bit before taking another sip of vodka and trying her best to clear the images that were forming in her mind.

"I lie in bed and just roll toward her, you know?" Nikolai continued, unaware of how disturbing his story was becoming.

"Wauraheurghhhh..." 

A splashing sound across the room got everyone's attention as Takeo was leaned over in the corner once again. 

"Takeo!" Nikolai shouted, smiling at the Japanese soldier who was currently scowling back at him. "Let's dance you barfing fool!"

Dempsey and Nikolai proceeded to torture Takeo with their horrible singing while Isabella sat down next to Brianna listening to the two soldiers make fools of themselves.

"99 shots of vodka, 99 shots of glee, we drink for fun, it's better than rum!~ 99 shots vodka for me!~... 98 shots of vodka, 98 bottles of glee,we drink for fun, it's better than rum!~ 98 bottles of vodka for me!~..."

Isabella grinned drunkenly, watching Takeo cover his ears as Brianna was snickering to herself, probably thinking the same thing she was at the moment.

_Men..._

"96 shots of vodka-" Nikolai sang, taking another swig from the bottle and choking on it a bit as Dempsey elbowed him.

"Come on, you lost count again you dumbass!" Tank groaned as he grabbed the bottle of vodka for himself. "Now we have to start all over again..."

"Well, I do not like math..." Nikolai stated defensively, before they both started singing the same song again from the beginning.

"99 shots of vodka, 99 shots of glee~..."

 _I wonder where we'll end up..._ Isabella mused, zoning out and staring at the glowing piece of machinery in the corner. _That is, if we ever get out of here... Tch, wish I had something to draw on..._

The dark haired woman's eyes widened when she suddenly remembered the night she'd lost her journal. Stumbling over to the teleporter, she leaned against it, crossing her arms and observing the German inside before breaking the silence.

"So," She drawled, watching as the doctor turned his head to face her, seemingly annoyed by her very presence. "Where is it?"

"Vhere is vhat?" He questioned, green eyes narrowing at her interruption and idiotic question, as he continued working despite the glare she was giving him.

"My journal. I know you took it."

"I haven't ze slightest clue vhere you have misplaced your things Izabella-"

"I didn't misplace anything!" She hissed, interrupting him as she stomped her foot on the ground angrily, making him cast a curious glance at her. He smirked, seemingly amused by her distress as he turned around, ignoring her and continuing with the repairs.

"Hey! Don't just-"

A unfamilar voice interrupted Isabella as she stopped talking, along with everyone else in the room as a dim purple light leaked through the cracks of the metal door. 

"Where are yoooouuuu?" The deep, almost demonic voice bellowed as everyone remained silent, unsure of exactly who, or what was on the other side. The sound of electricity could be heard in the background as well as the groans of the undead as the deep voice spoke again, chuckling slightly. 

"Let's do lunch sometime. How 'bout NOW."


	22. Acquiring the Golden Rod

"Let's do lunch sometime..." George said, chuckling evilly as the sound of his heavy footsteps drew closer. "How 'bout NOW."

 _Shit..._  Isabella thought, panicking slightly as everyone was silent for a moment, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. _Is that who they were talking about before? Their director-_

A loud gunshot interrupted her thoughts as another explosive yell shook the building. 

"I thought we were friends!" George roared, swinging his spotlight around angrily, smashing the fuse box outside the door. The lights inside flickered a few times before going out, as sparks flew from the teleporter before it shut down completely and the small room was plunged into darkness once again. Loud footsteps could be heard retreating as the sounds of the undead followed as well. 

"Aww, don't run away!" George shouted, laughing evilly before an eerie silence washed over the room and it's occupants.

"What the hell was that?" Brianna whispered, confused and slightly scared of whatever that thing was coming back, as she listened to everyone stumbling around in the dark. 

 _What are we going to do now that we don't know what will happen?_ She asked herself nervously, her fists clenching in her lap while she closed her eyes, wishing she could be anywhere else at the moment. _How are we even going to get out of this room?_

"Whatever it was, it severely fucked our power situation..." Isabella slurred, laughing to herself as she slumped against the teleporter before shutting her eyes, completely exhausted and quite frankly, too tired and drunk to care. 

Truthfully, she was terrified. For once, she didn't know what was coming next. Everything had been so easy when she had known exactly what to do and which steps to take. Now, they were all in the dark once again. 

 _In more ways than one..._  Isabella thought, chuckling drunkenly at their misfortune.

"Verdammt!" Richtofen cursed, stomping forward angrily as his boot connected with a toolbox lying on the floor. 

CRASH!

"SCHEISSE! Mach es der selber du verdammter Arschficker!" He screamed rapidly, picking himself up off the ground as a few emergency lights blinked on, casting a dim glow over everyone's features. 

Everyone except Takeo, who was still crippled in the corner, snickered a bit, earning a fierce glare from the doctor that said, 'laugh again and I will cut you' as they all fell silent. He made his way to the door, removing his hat for a moment and pressing his ear to the cool metal, listening for any other sounds outside.

Silence.

"At least there aren't any zombies in here..." Tank said from across the room, still sounding rather intoxicated. "I feel like I'm on vacation!"

"Nikolai seconds that!" The Russian chimed in happily, both of them seemingly unfazed by the fact that they were once again without power.

"Well, that's looking at the glass as half full guys..." Brianna piped up, a tinge of sarcasm tainting her melodic voice. "I guess that's got to count for something..."

The group continued their conversation as Richtofen sighed in defeat, ready to take a seat himself, when the muffled sound of footsteps could be heard approaching. His green eyes widened, a plan already forming in his mind as he heard the person draw nearer. A few gunshots could be heard before the sound of footsteps racing past the door.

"Vait!" Richtofen hissed, tapping on the door gently while trying to get their attention.

"What is it this time?" The man with the southern accent drawled, sounding quite annoyed as he paused, using his MP5K to blast the heads off a few zombies that were following him. 

"Rooker, come on!" Another man shouted as more gunfire could be heard in the background over the moans of the undead. 

"Now zhat zhey are occupied..." Richtofen said lowly, turning back momentarily to make sure his teammates were still distracted. "I vas vondering, could you do a special errand for me? I need you to retrieve a very important device. It looks like a long, stiff, hard, golden rod... Vith fingers on zhe end."

"Are you crazy?!" The man outside the door said sharply, reloading his gun as he frowned, wondering for a moment what exactly it was that he was supposed to be looking for. "I have a god damn good mind to shoot you myself!"

"Whasgoin' on over there Doc?" Dempsey slurred, raising an eyebrow as the rest of their group directed their attention to the door as well. 

Grimacing, the doctor turned around to find Isabella staring at him with calculating eyes as well as the American and the rest. Richtofen glared back intensely for a moment, hearing the sounds of footsteps and the undead fade away while wondering what parts of their conversation she had heard. Switching back to his usual emotionless mask a few seconds later, he choose to ignore her, finally answering the American's question.

"Nozhing Dempshey~" He sang, walking away from the metal door to join the rest of his teammates as he watched Nikolai and Dempsey fight over the last of the vodka. Nikolai won obviously, smirking as he chugged the rest of the alcohol like it was water before placing the empty bottle in his pack while humming an old Russian tune to himself. Dempsey shook his head drunkenly, continuing with what he was saying before as the rest of the group continued to stare. 

"We are going to leave this place to enter another wild goose chase... Except we are the goose and the zombies are the... Um..." Tank trailed off, looking around at his comrades for assistance. "Someone help me out here... There's a metaphor there somewhere, I think..." He finished shrugging, not really caring either way.

"It's going to be sad to leave this time..." Nikolai said wistfully, remembering the good times like now with his companions and of course, his vodka. "Richtofen, I hope you are leading us to more vodka and less zombies!" He continued, already thinking back on the empty bottle inside his backpack. _Always needing more vodka..._ He thought tiredly, shaking his head at Isabella and Dempsey who looked completely wasted. 

A few moments later the silence was broken suddenly by a knock on the door, followed by a deep voice. 

"Hey!" The man outside shouted, sounding slightly out of breath as a few beeping sounds could be heard from buttons being pressed on the other side. The lights blinked on as the power in the room switched on. The teleporter started up as well, humming in the corner and tainting the room with a blue glow once again as the man outside continued. 

"I got that thing you wa-"

"WUNDERBAR!" Richtofen exclaimed loudly, cutting him off while skipping towards the door despite the strange looks he was receiving. A dull thud could be heard as something dropped through the delivery tube, only to be snatched away quickly by a pair of gloved hands and pocketed swiftly. 

Clearing his throat, Richtofen turned around, ignoring his teammates confused looks as he marched into the teleporter, working once again on getting the coordinates right for where they needed to go next...

"One more step and the world will be mine! HAHAHA!" Richtofen thought excitedly as he chuckled, falling silent a moment later when he realized he had accidentally said that out loud.

"...I mean... Force field, force field~... I'm not stuck behind a force field~!" He sang, trying his best to ignore the prying stares from his teammates. Laughing crazily, he mumbled to himself in German, smirking when the others gave up, turning away to pass the time talking or thinking to themselves. 

 _Zhat vas a close von..._  He thought while sneering at his dumb teammates, mainly the American and the Russian as he reprimanded himself mentally for even referring to them as such things. _Zhey are mere test subjects..._

"Hey, you outside!" Nikolai yelled, stumbling towards the door hurriedly before banging his gloved fist against the cool metal. "Nikolai needs more vodka!"

"What?" The same voice from outside choked, sounding more surprised than annoyed. "We don't have anymore!"

"Chush' sobach'ya!" Nikolai shouted, slamming his head against the door once before closing his eyes and muttering to himself. "Chto za huy..."

Brianna frowned disapprovingly at the Russian before turning to face her sister who still looked a bit... out of it, to say the least. 

"Isabella...?" She questioned softly, tapping her on the shoulder a few times before she looked up, meeting emerald eyes that matched her own. "Are you going to be okay? I'm worried about you..."

Sighing, Isabella looked away towards their comrades, making sure none of them were listening in before facing her sister once more. 

"I don't know what we're going to do..." She began, the look of fear creeping into her eyes while her voice shook slightly, imagining the terrors that probably awaited them at their next destination. "I've been trying to help us, but nothing has worked... And now, we don't even know where we are..."

"I'm so sorry." Brianna said quietly, staring at her sister for a moment before pulling her in for a hug. "I'm sorry I let you deal with all of this alone..." She continued, feeling herself getting emotional while thinking about all they'd seen together.

Isabella blinked a few times, incredibly surprised that Brianna was even talking to her right now after everything that had happened.

"It wasn't your fault... You just have to know that, okay? No matter what I said... I'm... I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay." Isabella replied, breathing out a sigh of relief as she felt herself relax a bit, already feeling less stressed about their situation and even allowing a small smile to grace her features for a moment. "Thank you..."

"Ahem," The doctor said loudly, coughing a few times before continuing. "Ze teleporter is ready. Let us be on our vay..."

Everyone got up as Isabella helped Takeo to his feet, feeling sorry that he'd been sick the entire time they were stranded here. Both women helped the Japanese soldier into the teleporter as Dempsey frowned, glaring at the doctor's green pants momentarily before looking back up, unsure of whether or not he should keep this question to himself. 

 _Fuck it..._  He thought opening his mouth a few seconds later. 

"Kinda sick of me to ask this but Richtofen, is that a rod in your pocket-"

"NEIN! Let's go! I've got us vhat ve needed." The doctor snapped, turning his attention back to the controls of the glowing piece of machinery that would soon take them to another no doubt, dangerous location. 

"Hah hah, yeah... DRUNK!" Nikolai laughed as they all stepped into the teleporter. Richtofen slammed the launch button as electricity flashed around them before they-

A small explosion could be heard as the lights in the room went out again, they smell of burning plastic filling the air as the teleporter shut down, leaving them all standing together in total darkness.

"This is becoming an all too familiar situation guys..." Isabella muttered, crossing her arms while hearing her sister sigh in frustration behind her.

"What happened?" Nikolai questioned, tired of literally always being in the dark about these technological things.

"Should I go out and push?" Dempsey said sarcastically, raising an unseen eyebrow towards the doctor who did not sound amused at his little joke. Sighing, he massaged the side of his head with one hand while responding bitterly.

"Ugh, ze teleporter must have blown out again!"

"Oh come on!" Dempsey growled, becoming rather annoyed at all this bad luck they were having recently. "This better be more rewarding than last time. Stupid Gersch..."

"Vodka!" Nikolai shouted, wanting to be part of the conversation as well as Brianna cringed, her eyebrow twitching slightly in anger now that her ears hurt from the Russian's loud voice. 

"Now what?" One of the men behind the door said before the sound of metal colliding against metal could be heard as the power started up again. The hum of the teleporter filled the room as the doctor grinned, setting the coordinates once again. 

"Thank you again stranger!" He called towards the door quickly before raising his hand to the launch button. "Perhaps ve vill see you another time... Goodbye!"

"Yo sauerkraut," Dempsey growled as he eyed Richtofen suspiciously before continuing. "You never did tell us why we came here..."

"All in good time my clever Dempshey, all in good time-"

The sound of vomit hitting the floor interrupted their conversation as Takeo grimaced in the background, obviously ready to leave this horrible place. Richtofen sighed in irritation before glancing at the Imperial soldier momentarily. 

"Zhat's vhat you get for eating raw fish!" 

Bringing a gloved hand down on the controls, electricity flashed around them as the tell tale sounds of teleportation filled their ears before they all slipped into blackness.


	23. Welcome to the Jungle

_Isabella was running for her life... Again. A horde of zombies trailing behind her, as she threw the empty gun she was carrying to the side furiously._

_"How could they leave me..." She kept repeating to herself desperately as she sprinted forward into the shadows. "How could they all just leave me like this?!"_

_Tears slid down her face as she continued running, feeling the air in her lungs decrease as her stamina was coming to an end. The hungry moans of the zombies behind her were growing louder as she bolted forward frantically, scrambling through dark corridors that seemed to go on forever..._

_Finally, a light at the end of the hallway flicked on, revealing an open door. Isabella rejoiced mentally as she used the last of her energy to make a mad dash for the only escape in sight. Just as she was about to jump through the opening, the door slammed shut as shocked green eyes met an all too familiar face behind the now closed escape route, grinning in satisfaction._

_Confusion, betrayal, anger..._

_All those emotions rushed through Isabella momentarily as she stared through teary eyes at the face behind the glass seconds before the undead caught up with her. The last sounds she heard were her own desperate yells for help mixed with an insane cackling..._

Isabella awoke suddenly from her nightmare to the sound of a monkey screeching in the distance as she opened her eyes slowly, the light from the sun blinding her temporarily. Struggling with the post teleportation nausea, she pushed herself up gradually, glancing at her teammates lying on the ground next to her, still passed out. 

 _Where the hell are we now...?_ She wondered, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she looked around, seeing nothing but decaying walls being invaded by the surrounding foliage. 

_A fuckin' jungle? No way..._

Hearing a groan behind her, her heart skipped a beat as she spun around quickly, breathing out a sigh of relief when she discovered it was just a certain Marine waking up. Brianna yawned, taking her time in sitting up as she looked around as well, a confused expression gracing her features before she turned towards Isabella and Dempsey.

"What is this place...?" The blonde woman wondered out loud as she stood up shakily, seeing Takeo and Richtofen stirring on the ground in front of her. 

The Imperial soldier looked much better, the sickly pale color now gone from his face as he tried to stand despite the dizzying effects caused by the teleporter. Richtofen brushed the dust from his uniform casually as he stood up, surveying the area as he strode over to a nearby soda machine in the center of what looked to be part of a temple or shrine of some sort.

The small blue drink dispenser was missing it's blue glow however, indicating that once again, they needed to turn on the power. Sighing, the doctor returned to their group, eyeing Nikolai, who was still snoring happily on the ground with an annoyed glare. Rolling his eyes, he ignored the Russian for now before turning his attention to Takeo who was inspecting an old totem pole-like statue.

"Ve're in an ancient temple und ze power is off..." Richtofen mused, chuckling a bit while gaining everyone's attention. "Zhat's a veird combo..."

"Wait, the power is out...?" Dempsey repeated, sounding slightly annoyed by that fact. "Does power even make _sense_ in an ancient temple? Seriously, Treyarch...? SERIOUSLY?!"

Isabella snickered at the Marine's comment before she realized that once again, she was only armed with a simple pistol.  _No fair..._ She thought, crossing her arms while daydreaming about all the good times and amazing kills she had with the Zeus Cannon... 

Shaking her head, she sighed while glancing up at Dempsey who was grabbing a gun off the wall. Nikolai mumbled something about vodka in his sleep before he started to wake up, coughing loudly and hacking up something into the dirt. Brianna raised an eyebrow while fanning herself with one hand, wondering if this was normal behavior as the two women watched the soldier stumble to his feet, groaning and cursing as he did so.

Exotic sounding birds squawked in the distance as the two women fanned themselves with their free hands, suddenly realizing how hot it was in the jungle while Takeo and the doctor were busy examining a strange rock near one of the back windows...

"Tch, screw it..." Brianna mumbled while unzipping her hoodie and revealing the dark purple tank top underneath. "It's too hot to be wearing this..." She continued absentmindedly as she tied the cotton jacket around her waist and walked up to the shrine at the front of the room, admiring the strange ruins. The moment the sweatshirt left the blonde woman's shoulders however, Isabella frowned intensely as she noticed Nikolai and Dempsey stealing glances at her sister's chest. 

 _Fuck my life..._ Isabella cursed, frowning as she looked down at her own small rack hidden under her t-shirt before glancing back at Brianna who was still observing the scenery, obviously completely unaware as to who might be looking at her with pervy thoughts in mind.

 _Jeez, her boobs aren't THAT big..._ Isabella thought, trying her best to make herself feel a little bit better.  _But compared to me..._

Sighing dejectedly at the fact that her sister was obviously more well endowed in the chest area, Isabella's eyes narrowed at the Russian soldier who was practically drooling as she picked up a small rock before throwing it at said man's head. Nikolai was too distracted to notice the projectile heading his way before it was too late.

 _Great tits..._  He thought briefly, a second before impact. _Just like second wife-_

DINK.

Nikolai blinked a few times, slightly confused before he saw the tiny stone hit the ground near his feet, realization hitting him. Frowning, he turned around slowly to face the offender with a menacing glare. 

"What the fuck was that for?" Nikolai slurred angrily as he rubbed the spot on the side of his head where the rock had hit him.

"You know..." Isabella said in a low tone, glancing at her blonde sister momentarily who was still unaware of their conversation. "Now knock it off... BOTH of you!" 

Shooting one last pissed off glare towards Dempsey, she turned around and stomped away towards her sister who was admiring the dragon statues near the incomplete set of stairs leading up to the altar. Nikolai frowned, cursing and mumbling something in Russian before an awkward silence settled over the area and it's occupants.

"At least we're out of that damn closet..." Tank muttered after a few minutes, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly while smirking at the M14 he was now holding. He looked around suddenly, wondering why it had gotten so eerily quiet out of nowhere...

"Eh, but it was nice break, no?" Nikolai added, looking around desperately for his bottle of vodka.

"For me, that wras a horrible experience..." Takeo stated, shivering slightly at the memory and obviously still a bit traumatized. Reaching for the holster on his waist he frowned, obviously just realizing that he no longer had the ray gun and was once again equipped with only an M1911 pistol. 

Isabella smiled briefly at the Japanese man before looking around for the most eccentric member of their team... Standing in the center of the room, he was near a wall close to the Quick Revive, smirking while staring at what looked to be some sort of stone button...

Hearing a scuffling sound behind her, Isabella turned around, watching curiously as the monkey near the statue in front of her back flipped, screeching loudly as it beat it's chest, trying to taunt the unfamiliar humans invading it's territory. The dark haired woman looked around once more, her eyes falling on the platform at the top of the stairs that was at this moment, unreachable. 

With her comrades arguing in the background, Isabella began to wonder some things to herself as the sounds of the jungle faded away for a short while.  _Of all the places we've been..._  She thought, shaking her head slightly as she continued to observe the strange ruins they were now located in.

_I_ _wonder what the story behind this place is..._

A groan behind her, followed by the sounds of boards being dismantled made her heart sink as she spun around, pointing her gun at the window she was next to. Unlike the other zombies they had fought previously, these were not undead Nazi's. In fact, the zombie currently pulling the boards down while trying it's hardest to get at Isabella, was or rather, had been a female at one point in time. 

Narrowing her green eyes in frustration, she gripped her pistol tightly, aiming carefully for the head before pulling the trigger and making everyone in the room jump.

"What the-"

"Watch the windows!" Isabella shouted, spying a few more undead approaching from the bushes as she aimed again before firing the rest of the bullets in her clip. "These undead assholes are back!"

Boards on the other three windows could be heard falling to the ground quickly, as the groans of the undead got louder as more approached the barriers. Isabella and Brianna worked together to hold down the window to the right of the altar while Dempsey covered the front left window, scoring multiple head shots with his M14.

"Crack shot certification complete!" Dempsey shouted, grinning as he reloaded quickly. "Where's my medal?"

"Oh, everyone look..." Richtofen said sarcastically while firing rounds into zombies trying to breach his window. "Dempshey got a head shot... So vhat?" 

The doctor cackled before knifing the last zombie in his window, smirking to himself as the corpse fell to the ground. He continued to defend his window, laughing insanely every time he knifed one of his creations to death. Next to him, Takeo emptied his pistol, taking out all the zombies in his window with shots to the head.

"Yeah Tak!" Dempsey cheered, spying the Japanese soldier's kills from across the room. "You outta teach Dicktofen how to shoot like that!"

Richtofen frowned. "Dempshey, someday you're luck vill run out..." The doctor drawled menacingly, giving the American an insane smile before continuing. 

"...Und I vill be zhere."

Brianna rolled her eyes at the two men who were always at each others throats before turning her attention to her younger sister who was currently reloading her pistol while still keeping watch over their window. 

"Isabella," The blonde woman said softly, getting her attention while reloading her own gun and watching as Nikolai tossed a grenade into their window. "What's the plan?"

"For right now the plan is staying alive..." Isabella murmured, checking the clips full of bullets attached to her waist while hearing an explosive go off behind her, sending blood splattering against the nearby walls and plants. "But if we're going to do that," She continued pausing before looking at the pistol she was currently holding distastefully. "We're going to need better guns..."

Both women looked at each other with knowing stares for a moment before redirecting their attention to the sky at the same time, searching for the eerie blue light that would lead the way to the mystery box. Spying the column of light across the room, Isabella made her way to the doorway in that direction, stopping when she saw the debris blocking the way. 

_Hmmm..._

Isabella reached forward to clear a path, placing her hand on the metal surface of one of the items blocking their way, but withdrew suddenly when lightning flashed as the debris cleared itself instantly a few seconds after she touched it. 

"Woah! That's awesome!" Isabella chuckled as she turned around, spying Takeo and Dempsey still shooting at zombies in their windows. "Hey guys!" She yelled, waving as everyone headed towards the doorway. "Are you ready to get rid of these shitty pistols, or what?"

"Hell yeah!" Dempsey cheered, abandoning his window after seeing everyone else do the same.

A few zombies were pulling boards down across the room as everyone headed towards the doorway Isabella had opened. 

Without thinking, Isabella began to walk forward into the small hallway, not noticing the curious holes in the ground beneath her. Richtofen's eyes widened as he observed the trap a moment too late, spying the blood and the tell tale holes on the floor before he could stop her...

"Vait!" He shouted a second before a loud whooshing sound could be heard and multiple bamboo spikes shot up instantly, obscuring everyone's vision of their teammate.

"Izzy!" Brianna screamed, stepping forward slightly as the spikes began to lower. Spotting her sister standing on the other side, she sighed in relief as she heard her laughing nervously while holding onto a piece of her t-shirt that had been snagged by a spike that had gotten too close. 

 _Holy crap on a cracker..._ Isabella thought, still a bit shaky from her close encounter. _That could have been bad..._

Richtofen's eyes narrowed, as he watched the spikes retract again, seeing that once again this lucky woman had bested the odds set against her. _Fascinating..._  He thought absentmindedly as he watched the other members of their group dash across the spike trap, waiting for his turn to do so himself. 

_Izabella und the others vill be of great use until it is time for my mien plan to commence..._

"Doc!" Dempsey shouted, interrupting the man's dreams about world domination. "Let's go!"

Looking up, he saw Isabella and Dempsey waiting patiently for him on the other side of the trap as he heard the growling of the zombies finally breaking in through the windows behind him. Trying his best to wipe the insane smirk off his face, he sprinted through the trap quickly as the zombies behind him tried to do the same. The spikes shot up around the undead however, impaling them in various places and dropping them in a mangled heap as more blood began to leak onto the surrounding stone floors.

A few crawlers from Nikolai's grenade could be heard hissing in the distance as the group moved forward to where Brianna and Takeo were inspecting what looked to be a sand pit in front of them...


	24. Ze 31-79 JGb215! Wunderbar!

"Aw, I bet poor Nikolai would get lost in here..." A deep voice chuckled behind Isabella as they both trudged through the maze slowly, following the Russian soldier who had decided to go first. 

Stumbling forward cautiously, Nikolai stopped as the bamboo walls descended again, cutting him off and forcing him to go a different way. Tank just continued to laugh at his friend's confused face every time this happened as even Isabella and Brianna cracked a smile, despite their situation.

"I think it was left... No, no, right! Oh god, I have trouble walking in straight line!" Said Russian mumbled while scratching his head. He looked up momentarily, sighing in relief when he saw day light once again.

"Well, that was slightly annoying..." Brianna muttered sarcastically as she exited the mud pit after the American soldier and her sister, Richtofen and Takeo following a few steps behind them. 

 _Wow, this place... It's beautiful..._ Isabella thought suddenly, a bit caught off guard when the path opened up to reveal a wooden bridge leading over to a large waterfall. _I never thought I'd say that about any place with zombies..._

"Check it out!" Dempsey shouted, interrupting Isabella's thoughts while jogging over to a familiar red perk machine. 

"Juggernog! Ooh-rah!" He yelled excitedly as he pressed the button on the front, frowning in confusion when it failed to light up or deliver his drink. Isabella sighed, smiling to herself as she watched the Juggernog obsessed Marine slam the machine with his fist once, trying to get it to turn on.

"Dempsey...?" The dark haired woman spoke up, getting his attention while strolling past him towards the bridge and the blue column of light erupting from the box close by. 

"Remember our objective?" She continued with a smirk on her face, leading the way across the bridge with Brianna close behind. Tank grunted, abandoning his favorite perk machine, for now, while he stepped across the bridge, following the two ladies in front of him. 

"I'm so bored of this quote, unquote objective that I can't even complain anymore..." He said lazily, yawning as he did so.

"What would we do if the power was already on...?" Nikolai wondered out loud as he noticed everyone looking at him with blank stares. 

"Yeah, I know, I know..." He said after a moment, waving his hand dismissively before continuing with a sigh. "Never going to happen..."

Isabella looked down over the side of the rickety looking bridge where a blue light was emerging from beneath the falls. 

"There it is!" She said excitedly, spying the wooden box and walking a bit faster down the path, Tank a few steps behind her, completely ready to exchange his pistol for something better. 

Taking the lead, Dempsey smirked once he noticed the chalk outline of an arrow on the wall as he approached a circular stone door that was blocking their path. Walking in front of the two women, he held his M14 at the ready before touching the door once as it rolled into the side of the now exposed mine tunnel. The lights on the ceiling barely illuminated the tight passageway ahead as some of the bulbs blinked on and off, a few of them not working at all. 

_Here we go..._

Tank led the way through the cave, the sound of rushing water getting louder as they went deeper towards the tunnel's exit. Finally, after everyone was finished taking an involuntary cold shower, they all emerged at the base of the waterfall. 

Isabella wiped the water from her eyes as she looked around, assessing the room they were currently in. One window. Another blocked doorway that looked like it could lead them deeper underground. The mystery box that was located right next to the window-

 _Oh yeah! Mystery box!_ Isabella remembered suddenly, hearing the jingle that played whenever someone was gambling. Trudging through the knee high water, Isabella made her way to the box as she noticed everyone was crowded around it as well, looking for a better weapon.

"Winning!" Dempsey shouted, chuckling as he loaded the Galil he just pulled from the box.

"No fair!" Isabella whined, staring the Marine down with puppy dog eyes as he held one of her favorite guns.

"Take it up with Sam." Tank argued playfully, smirking one last time before walking away to check out the rest of the area, enjoying the irritated look she was now sporting. Isabella huffed, splashing the water around her before ignoring a certain soldier and focusing on the box again.

The next one to gamble was Takeo. Everyone sighed, waiting impatiently for their turn as the Imperial soldier grinned ever so slightly, watching the weaponry rotating in front of him. The Japanese man's eyes narrowed upon seeing the dual pistols floating in the air as he grabbed them after holstering his other gun with a sigh. He turned around, walking past Isabella who was looking at him with an amused smile, glancing at the double CZ75's he was now carrying. Takeo picked up on this and for once, smiled slightly and attempted to make a joke.

"The quality of the gun is not as important as the bad motherfucker holding it!" He said with a laugh, watching as the young girl's eyes widened momentarily before letting what he had said soak in.

"W-wha... Yeah! You get em' Tak!" Isabella cheered with a laugh, smiling back at the Imperial soldier before turning her attention back to the rest of the group. 

Richtofen was the lucky bastard who had gotten to gamble this time, watching with calculating eyes as the guns changed before him. The eerie box's music played quietly as the doctor giggled, reaching forward to grab his weapon. "OH IT'S SO..."

"...Shitty." He said distastefully as he stared at the Ballistic knives floating mid-air. Holstering his gun first, he grabbed both silver blades in his hands while Isabella snuck up from behind, tapping the box to gamble when no one was looking. The lid shot open again as music began to play while the doctor frowned intensely at the small woman eyeing the glowing weapons. 

"What?" She said sarcastically, noticing his glare as the weapons began to slow while they both looked towards the box to see what Isabella had been given...

"VHAT?!" Richtofen hissed, almost dropping his knives as his jaw nearly hit the floor. "I knew Maxis vas vorking on such a device... But I had no idea he vas successful..."

"Um, what exactly is this thing...?" Isabella asked, taking the strange looking weapon from the box with caution. "It's kinda big..." She continued, trying to find a way to hold the large rifle-like weapon without it feeling awkward. 

The German doctor stared down at the young woman with an annoyed glare as Nikolai and Brianna fought over the box in the background, cursing over who would get to gamble next. The two crawlers that were still alive could be heard hissing in the cave they had all just come through as they drew closer to their location.

"Ve should keeping moving towards ze power-" Richtofen began, watching as Nikolai pulled an FN FAL out of the box, sending a smug look towards the blonde woman as he headed towards where Dempsey and Takeo were waiting. Brianna's eye's narrowed as she ignored the Russian soldier, stepping forward to gamble as a blue light shot out of the mysterious crate once again.

An evil cackling in the distance made Isabella shiver as she looked back towards her sister who was cursing at the demented teddy bear floating in the air. 

"No fair!" Brianna shouted, stomping her foot in the water as she watched the box disappear with a flash of lightning, too caught up to notice the crawlers appear from beneath the waterfall... Isabella shook her head as she watched her sister turn around slowly to walk in their direction, unaware of what was right behind her-

"Bri!" Isabella shouted, her eyes widening in horror as she watched a crawler reach out to grab her leg.

 _Son of a bitch..._  Brianna thought angrily, stepping away from the place where the mystery box used to be as she turned around, walking towards where her sister and the others were standing. She had only taken a few steps when she heard her sister's worried yell over the rapids. Looking up, she saw her panicked face before a sharp pain in the back of her leg made her trip, falling face first into the cold water.

 _Shit!_ She thought momentarily, kicking at the crawler while underwater as the sound of bullets being fired were followed by a pair of hands a few seconds later dragging her up. 

"Bri, you okay?!" Isabella asked worriedly, shoving the strange weapon she was holding at Richtofen before rushing over to her, to make sure she was really alright.

"Yeah, yeah..." The blonde woman said, coughing a few times as she wiped the water from her eyes and looked around, spying everyone staring at her. "I'm fine..." She said while blushing, slightly embarrassed from being taken down momentarily from a few crawlers. 

Isabella patted her on the back a few times before walking over to where Dempsey and Richtofen stood, shaking her head slightly when the doctor tried to give her the foreign gun back.

"Trade me." Isabella stated simply, pointing at the knives in the doctors other hand. "The other gun is too heavy..."

Richtofen's eyes widened in shock as the sound of the round ending filled everyone's ears. Everyone in the room tensed slightly, preparing for what they knew would come next as the doctor looked at the woman in front of him with a confused expression for a moment, wondering why she would give up such a fantastic weapon... Then it hit him. 

 _She does not know vhat zhis is..._ He thought excitedly as he stared at the naive expression on her face. _Izabella you are far too trusting my dear..._  

Richtofen grinned as he handed the small woman the Ballistic knives, watching as she skipped over to the Marine with them before he turned his attention towards the weapon in his hand. 

 _Zhe 31-79 JGb215..._ The insane doctor thought with a laugh. _Vunderbar!_ Boards hitting the floor brought Richtofen out of his thoughts as the groans of the undead could be heard approaching from all angles. 

"Come on! We gotta move!" Dempsey shouted, shoving Isabella towards the door where Takeo and Nikolai were standing. Brianna and Richtofen followed as the Imperial soldier led the group of zombie killers through the tiny hallway after clearing the debris blocking the way, until they found themselves in one of the underground rooms. 

The floor was partially flooded as a set of stairs could be seen leading up to a few more paths they were able to choose from. A dimly lit area at best, the small amount of light leaking in from outside cast an eerie blue glow on the water and the surrounding walls, making it slightly difficult to see as everyone stumbled forward. Brianna looked up momentarily, noticing the chalk outline of a shotgun on the wall nearby. Hurrying, she grabbed the Stakeout off the wall as she ran to catch up to the rest of the group.

Richtofen spied the jagged chalk arrow on the wall that indicated the power switch was close as he moved towards yet another door that was filled with debris. A few zombies hissed in the windows, pulling at the barricades as everyone looked around, unsure of which route to take. 

"Zhis vay!" The doctor shouted after his gloved hand brushed one of the items in their way, resulting in a flash of lightning as the path opened up. "Last von zhere is zombie bait!" He added while laughing madly and dashing down the hallway. 

The rest of the team followed his lead, dashing through the corridor until it opened up to reveal a large underground room with two giant waterwheels that were, at the moment, not functioning. Isabella looked around, spying a strange perk machine in the corner as she saw the doctor heading across the bridge between the two waterwheels, towards what appeared to be a very familiar looking switch.

"Here ve go..." Richtofen said with an accomplished smirk, gripping the handle and pulling it down as a current of water began falling on the large wooden wheel behind him, making it spring to life. 

Isabella walked up to the other switch that corresponded with the second wheel as she pulled the level down, making both wheels turn in unison as the ancient form of electricity began to flow through the temple. Perk machines lit up as well as a few other lights in the room as Isabella noticed a strange totem pole like statue between the power switches as it began spinning...

The sound of gun shots filled everyone's ears as Dempsey jumped in front of a window full of zombies, pulling the trigger on his Galil and firing a full clip which decimated the undead while tainting the walls and part of the surrounding floor red. 

"You see that? There's brains all over the place!" The American soldier said with a laugh as he spun around, hearing a hissing at the window behind him.

"My sister is more dangerous than you!" Nikolai shouted as he shoved a zombie back that had gotten too close, slashing it to death before aiming his FAL at a few more undead stumbling his way. 

"Is my vodka okay?!" The Russian said worriedly as he patted his jacket down, searching for the small bottle he kept in the pocket. "Phew! That would have been bad..." He sighed in relief after finding it still intact where he had left it, as he turned around to cover his window again. 

Tank rolled his eyes as he remembered he was supposed to be holding down a window as well. Noticing that a few more zombies were pulling at the boards in front of him, he smirked before aiming and resting his finger on the trigger lightly. 

"I'm gonna die someday... But your day is today freakbags!"

Back on the platform by the power switches, Richtofen noticed four undead stumbling out of the open window to their right as he grinned, getting the attention of the two ladies standing near him. 

"Vould you like to see vhat zhis veapon is cabable of?" He questioned, aiming at the approaching zombies while smiling widely, truly having a grand time at the moment. 

"Vatch zhis..."

The doctor pulled the trigger as a yellow blast hit the zombies, shrinking them into...

 _Babies?_ Isabella thought, slightly confused while trying hard not to snicker out loud. _Really...?_

The comically tiny zombies continued running forward as Isabella watched the doctor literally punt them, sending them flying into the wall. Isabella looked at Brianna who was staring back at her as well as they both erupted into laughter together. 

Takeo ran up at that moment, seeing the two strange women holding onto each other for support while cracking up and making quite a scene. Richtofen frowned. This was not the reaction he was hoping for, or expecting rather. 

"Vhat ze hell is so f-"

A loud explosion made the room shake as everyone stopped for a moment, watching as something emerged from the ground in front of the bridge. 

"What the..." Isabella said to herself, taking a few steps back as she observed the strange looking zombie clawing it's way out of the earth, noticing that it seemed to be on fire as the temperature around them escalated quickly. Pushing Brianna back, Isabella retreated across the bridge, noticing that the German doctor was staring at the new breed of zombie curiously. 

"Vhat mutation causes a fire zombie...?" The doctor wondered aloud as said zombie continued forward.

 _I wonder if he knows what's going on here or not..._  Isabella thought momentarily before shaking her head as she heard something behind her.

A groan made her jump as she sidestepped a zombie, bringing her knife around quickly to stab it in the back as it fell forwards in a heap. _That was close..._  Isabella realized, grinning while feeling rather accomplished at being able to hold her own around here finally. 

"What now?" Brianna said suddenly, backing up to where Takeo and Richtofen were standing as she blasted a zombie coming towards them, making sure to keep an eye on the fiery zombie that was slowly getting closer...

Richtofen aimed the strange baby gun at the oncoming napalm zombie as well as a few others headed their way, as they were all instantly shrunk, vulnerable to pretty much any attack. 

Takeo aimed his pistols at the small creatures, taking them out as the napalm zombie exploded, leaving large patches of fire where it had been standing. The explosion rocked the room as everyone stumbled a bit, caught off guard by the size of the blast. 

"Holy shit!" Dempsey yelled, abandoning his window after re-boarding now that the swarms had died down as Nikolai did the same. Takeo shot the last zombie in the face as it dropped to the ground, resulting in a temporary silence before more madness would eventually ensue.

"Ve should keep moving." Richtofen said firmly, turning immediately and walking towards a door they had yet to go through. "Zhere are other things ve need to accomplish..."

"Oh yeah?" Tank argued, sick of never knowing what the hell was going on anywhere they went. "What do _we_ need to do?" The Marine asked sarcastically, stressing the 'we' part of the sentence as he stared down the insane man with an agitated glare. 

"Sounds to me like _you're_ the one with the plan..."

Everyone watched as the German and the American stared each other down, mentally cursing the other out as Isabella sighed, bored with their fighting already. She looked around, noticing an unfamiliar machine to her right with a large glowing daiquiri, topped with a giant glowing slice of lime as she made her way down the path towards it. 

"Deadshot Daiquiri, huh?" Isabella drawled, slightly amused as she eyed the machine curiously. "I do love a good daiquiri..."

Nikolai turned around instantly, his ears perking up at the mention of an alcoholic beverage as he watched Isabella grab a bottle of liquid from the machine. The dark haired woman popped the cap off, downing half of the drink before witnessing the Russian do the same. After downing the mysterious perk-a-cola himself, Nikolai blinked a few times, looking around the room for a moment before speaking. 

"My body feels drunk... But my eyes feel sober. I do not like."

"Hurry up!" Dempsey growled impatiently as he watched Isabella and Nikolai walk back up the path, waiting for them to catch up before following the doctor and Takeo towards the door. 

Waiting for the right moment, Dempsey grabbed Isabella lightly on the arm, making her fall behind a bit as Nikolai and Brianna walked further ahead. Isabella looked at the Marine with a confused expression before he finally told her what was on his mind. 

"I don't trust that damn kraut..." He said quickly while glancing down the path and making sure they were truly alone. "I just feel like he's up to somethin'..."

"I know..." Isabella sighed after a moment, looking up at him while thinking about the recent events that would merit those accusations. "He's definitely acting more suspicious than usual..." She said in a hushed tone, thinking about what she had heard him say while they were all trapped in that room. 

"But what can we do?"

Tank looked down in frustration when he realized they had no choice but to go along with his plans... for now. Letting out a deep sigh, he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly before Isabella stepped forward, grabbing his free hand in her own. 

"Don't worry..." Isabella said, looking up at her favorite blue eyes with a genuine smile. "Whatever happens, I'll back you up. It's a promise."


	25. Eclipses and Strangers

The group of zombie slayers continued down the underground path, finally reaching a more well lit area containing a mine cart and some tracks that were at the moment, unusable. A few windows stood out, as well as the perk-a-cola Stamin-Up which filled the room with a golden light, but mostly the walls were lined with broken machinery.

"Yes!" Isabella shouted excitedly, giggling as she ran over to the familiar chalk outline on the wall. "M16 baby! Woohoo!"

Brianna rolled her eyes, loading her shotgun as the rest of the team moved towards yet another blocked hallway, hearing the groans of the undead that were beginning to swarm the area behind them. 

"Ve must hurry!" Richtofen said quickly, realizing the danger of staying in such an enclosed area as he moved to open the path ahead. He looked back momentarily to make sure the rest of his teammates were behind him as he accidentally glared at them, disturbed by the fact that he actually required their help. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't do this alone. He would need their... Assistance.

 _For ze time being anyvay..._ He remembered, turning around and smirking to himself as lightning cleared the debris in front of them. With the pathway now open, everyone made their way into the next room, noticing the small waterfall on the wall to the right. 

 _Looks like some sort of drainage system..._  Isabella guessed while examining the metal grate the water was flowing into. _I wonder where it's coming from though...?_

A loud yell to her left made the dark haired woman jump as a zombie hissed, shoving it's rotting arms through the cracks in the barricades closest to her before beginning to tear them down. Isabella ran forward with her ballistics, stopping to press the button on the handle and watching as a blade shot forward, striking the zombie directly in the forehead. Smirking nervously while trying to calm her racing heart, she reloaded before reaching forward to grab the knife from the corpse.

"Ack! Bad demon! Bad!" Richtofen shouted, struggling as a zombie that had dropped through the dirt ceiling grabbed his arm unexpectedly, forcing him to fumble his weapon. Struggling with the unusually strong creature, he reached for his knife as the undead corpse hissed incredibly close to his face before a stream of bullets whizzed through the air, shattering the zombie's skull and splattering the doctor's face and uniform with blood. The zombie dropped to the ground as everyone turned to see Takeo aiming an AK74u before he lowered his new weapon with a rare grin on his face.

"I am not one to brag, but damn!" The Japanese warrior said confidently, reloading before turning and firing at more undead coming through the doorway.

"Oh, I'll have to remember your birthday zhis year..." Richtofen grumbled, wiping the crimson liquid from his face and brushing himself off where the zombie had touched him. Bending down to pick up the alien gun, he stumbled a bit as an explosion shook the room, making dust fall from the ceiling as Nikolai's laughter could be heard over the echo of the blast.

"Ba-boom!" He shouted, pulling the pin off another one of his grenades before tossing it into a window filled with the undead. The explosion covered the walls with blood as bits of zombies flew in every direction, causing the Russian soldier to crack up, coughing a bit from laughing so much. 

"Ugh, I think just inhaled some zombie..." He choked, ripping another grenade from his belt as he tossed it into the hallway the Imperial solder was covering, a mischievous grin on his face. 

"It is like fireworks show!" Nikolai laughed, thoroughly amused by the mess of carnage and gore. "Only with blood and zombies..." He continued, chuckling as he watched a legless zombie hiss as it crawled forward, completely missing the irritated glare the Japanese man was sending him.

"Kill them Nikki!" Takeo reprimanded loud enough for the Russian to hear as said man spun around, not sure if he was hallucinating or not when he heard someone referring to him as Nikki. "Do not play with them..." The Imperial continued, speaking to the drunk soldier as though he were a child while gesturing to the line of crawlers hissing on the ground near the doorway. 

"Are you trying to get us killed?"

"Hey Takeo, FUCK YOU." Nikolai grunted, too tired and sober to come up with a good comeback as he flipped him the bird before following Richtofen up the pathway towards daylight.

"Efficiency is good business Nikolai," Takeo advised, sighing before taking out the majority of the crawlers while leaving a few alive on purpose. "And you have none of it."

The undead were still pouring in the windows as a group of three zombies dropped through the hole in the ceiling, over what appeared to be some kind of geyser, as they sprinted towards the two women. Isabella aimed her M16 at one of them, squeezing the trigger while watching as the bullets effectively decapitated the unlucky zombie foolish enough to attack them. 

Looking for a way out, the younger Valentine sister backed up, seeing daylight through the hole in the underground room's roof. Brianna used her remaining shells wisely as she blasted away two zombies before both girls stood back to back while reloading, waiting for more undead to come charging their way.

Isabella took out another zombie with her M16, causing it to drop a floating container of ammunition as it fell to the ground. Cheering to herself as everyone heard the eerie ringing caused by the hovering icon before she touched it, resulting in a demonic voice they hadn't heard in a while...

"MAX AMMO!"

Angry screeching could be heard in the distance as Isabella looked around, seeing the water gushing out of the ground in the corner. Getting an idea, she moved to stand under the hole the zombies had dropped through earlier as she motioned for her sister to join her. In the caverns ahead, both women could hear the Russian celebrating now that the max ammo they had just acquired apparently refilled his vodka as Brianna observed the strange device her sister was standing on.

"What are you doing?" Bri questioned, spying a small group headed their way now that the others had moved on ahead.

"Come on!" Isabella shouted, the water pressure quickly building up beneath her feet, erupting fully a few seconds after the blonde woman jumped next to her.

"Woooooooooooo! This is awesome!" Isabella cheered as the stream of water shot them up through the cavern's ceiling and onto a wooden platform above. 

"That was so sweet!" Isabella continued excitedly, as Brianna stood there wide eyed, slightly annoyed that she had followed her sister's advice instead of taking the dry way up here.

The two women walked down the dirt path, hearing nothing but the jungle creatures squawking ominously as Isabella noticed Speed Cola to their left as they continued towards another circular stone door like the one they had encountered on the other side of the temple. A small monkey came racing towards them both, barring it's teeth while charging for Isabella as she remembered her distaste for the creatures ever since the cosmodrome. Pulling out her knives, she braced herself, striking when the animal was a few steps away and killing it instantly.

 _Where are all the zombies?_ She wondered as she looked around, hearing a lot of groaning and yelling in the distance as the stone door behind them opened suddenly.

Nikolai and Takeo sprinted towards Isabella and Brianna, a huge group of zombies behind them as they turned around, firing into crowd wildly while trying to escape. 

 _Oh, there they are..._ The dark haired woman realized, looking at the giant crowd and panicking a bit.

"Evacuate!" Nikolai shouted, waving his gun in the air whilst sprinting past his comrades. The more honorable Japanese soldier skidded to a stop where the two sisters were standing, emptying his clips and taking out a few zombies as the others in the crowd stumbled over the fallen bodies, still advancing towards them at a frighteningly quick pace.

Richtofen grinned, bringing up the rear while bracing himself for the carnage that would ensue as the swarm coming from the doorway drew nearer. His laughter could be heard throughout the temple as he aimed carefully before firing the JGb215 at the approaching horde.

"I make you small! Like Dempshey's brain!" He shouted, cackling hysterically while watching his minions shrinking before his eyes.

"Fuck you Doc!" Dempsey yelled from across the room while blasting away at the undead still chasing him. _Does he think I'm fuckin' deaf?!_ The Marine thought angrily, spying his teammates coming up the hill towards him, relived that both women were still intact. 

Firing the last bullets in his clip at a zombie trying to break in through the window, Dempsey stopped to reload as the sound of the doc's insane laughter was slowly becoming louder. Which quite frankly, was giving the Marine a bit of a headache.

Isabella spotted Dempsey at the top of the hill, a few zombies headed towards him as he disappeared behind some rubble. The sound of bullets from his Galil filled the air as a muffled 'ooh-rah' could be heard over the gunfire. Isabella smiled, knowing he would be fine as she focused on the window in front of her, pulling out her dual knives and slicing clean through a zombies neck as it reached towards the barricades. 

Watching as it hissed once before falling over dead, she grinned before turning around and seeing Brianna covering the window next to her, smiling as they gave each other a thumbs up. Richtofen pulled the trigger once more, sending a blast of yellow towards the undead as everyone watched the miniature zombies run towards him as he kicked them out of the way.

"Ze doctor kicks you in ze nuts!" He shouted, cackling madly after another round of punting his creations.

"He's really having a good time with that thing..." Brianna noticed, staring at the German for a moment before looking back at her sister questioningly. Isabella shrugged, watching as the swarms began to die down and the group reformed near entrance to the spike trap. 

"Let's keep moving." Isabella sighed, glancing at Richtofen briefly before they all made their way across the dangerous hallway and into the room with the altar.

"Over here!" Richtofen directed, standing in the middle near the Quick Revive machine and waiting for everyone to gather round. 

"Ve need an eclipse for zhe next schtep..."

Dempsey snorted, not believing what he was hearing. "What! How long is that gonna take-"

"Zhat is vhat zhe buttons are for Dempshey!" The doctor growled, quite irritated after being interrupted as he directed everyone's attention to the circular stone buttons located on each wall. 

"Zhere are four und ve need to press zhem all at vonce."

Richtofen stood next to the button near Quick Revive as Dempsey reluctantly moved to stand near the button located on the opposite wall. Nikolai and Takeo stood next to the other two stone devices as Isabella and Brianna watched curiously as all four soldiers pressed them into the wall at the same time. What happened next was truly amazing as the sky turned dark, blurring momentarily as everyone's vision adjusted to the instant change. 

"Woah..." Isabella mumbled, staring towards the sun that was now blocked out and casting an eerie blue glow over the jungle and surrounding ruins. "That was pretty trippy..."

"Why does everything look blue?" Nikolai wondered out loud as the Imperial raised an eyebrow at the drunk before explaining.

"It is an ecripse." Takeo said tiredly as Richtofen stepped past the two, eyes wide with excitement at his achievement.

"Fascinating!" The doctor cheered gleefully before turning his attention to the front of the room. "Und look! Zhere's a giant meteor on top of zhe temple! I must have it in my pockets..."

"This makes no fucking sense... At all." Dempsey said flatly before looking towards Isabella for some support. 

The dark haired woman smiled, amused with the Marine's confused face as she snickered lightly to herself before turning to observe the scenery around her now that the eclipse was in effect.

"Um... Holy shit?" Brianna said suddenly, as if voicing a question while pointing to the top of the altar. "Was that meteor there before?"

"Hmm... I think I would have noticed that..." Isabella laughed, tapping her bottom lip with her finger while thinking about whether or not it was possible to not notice a giant glowing meteor in the middle of the jungle...

"Zhe meteor vas not zhere vhen ve first arrived..." Richtofen explained as everyone looked his way, waiting for him to continue. "It is here now because ve have gone back in time to vhen ze meteor crash landed here a number of years ago..." The group continued to stare at the German doctor with confused/wtf expressions before Isabella finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

"So we've gone back in time... Again?" She asked, wondering what the point of all this was as she waited for Richtofen to elaborate. Even though she knew he wasn't going to tell them anything of real importance.

Dempsey facepalmed as Nikolai grumbled about not having vodka while Takeo just stood there, silent as usual. Brianna tapped her foot impatiently, brushing a few strands of blonde hair behind her ear as she wondered how they were going to get out of this mess when it seemed to be getting more and more complicated with each step they took... 

The crawlers they left behind hissed in the distance, slowly getting closer as the doctor sighed heavily while rubbing his temples. 

"I vill explain along zhe vay..." Richtofen assured them all briefly before walking towards the punji stakes they had entered the room through. "For now, vhat is important is finding a button like zhat near vhere ve exited ze mine."

The two women followed the Imperial soldier and Dempsey who took the lead in following after the doctor, Nikolai bringing up the rear as they all navigated the trap and began walking down the path ahead. 

 _The jungle definitely looks creepier at night..._ Isabella realized suddenly, walking a bit closer to the members of their group. _Not that I'm afraid of the dark or anything..._ She reassured herself while gripping the handles of her knives lightly.

The green glow of Speed Cola could be seen around the corner as another totem pole like statue caught Isabella's eye. Looking slightly below the idol, the young woman noticed a stone button with a skull carved into it, similar to the ones in the other room.

"Is this it?" She asked, stepping towards it and pulling some vines out of the way so it could be seen better in the twilight. Richtofen strode over, inspecting the ancient device as he grinned before pushing it into the wall as it clicked, resulting in a strange sound almost like a door opening. 

 _Hmm..._  Richtofen thought curiously, expecting something more to happen. _Zhat vas too easy..._

"Hello out there! Hello...?"

Everyone jumped slightly, including the doctor who apparently wasn't planning on meeting anyone else out here either. "Ze voices!" Richtofen shouted, pausing for a moment when he noticed that everybody else was looking at the wall. 

"Vait, zhat's not in my head..."

"Hey guys, there's some British guy in this wall..." Nikolai speculated, taking a generous swig from his bottle and moving closer to hear what this newcomer was saying as the rest of the group gathered around, trying to listen in.

"We are stuck behind some kind of mechanism..." The man with the British accent continued, "Whatever you did moved it slightly. We really could use some help here..."

"Who are you und how did you get-"

A loud screech behind them cut the doctor off as everyone spun around quickly, seeing something from the caves racing towards them incredibly fast. 

 _Anozher new breed of zombie?_ Richtofen wondered, struggling to see in the dark as he reached for his gun. He watched curiously as the creature stopped a few feet away, drawing in a quick breath before letting loose another explosive yell. 

What happened next was literally mostly a blur as the intense sound waves from the undead creatures shouts caused everyone to become disoriented momentarily.

"Mutti? Is zhat you?" Edward mumbled to himself while gripping the side of his head in pain. "I didn't do it!" He shouted, sounding slightly panicked as everyone else was clutching their heads desperately as they struggled to see. Dempsey swore under his breath, trying to cover his ears to avoid the horrible sound.

"Nikolai! Is that screaming one of your wives?!" The American soldier complained loudly, glancing at the Soviet who looked as though he was suffering from an extreme headache as well.

"Eh, lucky for you guys I am used to such loud, angry noises..." Nikolai rambled, leaving the group to wonder about what exactly he meant by that as he aimed his FN FAL at the zombies head. "Do svidaniya!" He chuckled, watching in satisfaction as the bullets from his gun peppered the zombie's face, causing it to explode in a burst of air.

"Ouch..." Isabella whined, irritated that her hearing might have been permanently affected by the annoying zombie since her ears were still ringing. "Now we have to deal with those things too?" She asked, glancing at the doctor who seemed to be lost in his thoughts at the moment. 

"Um, hello...?" Isabella said, waving a hand in front of the German's face. "Anybody in there-"

"Don't touch me you filzhy child!" Richtofen hissed instantly, slapping her hand out of his way as he stomped past her and the rest of the group, leaving Isabella to wonder what she had done wrong. 

"Zhis vay!" Richtofen ordered as he took off marching, already halfway down the tunnel when the sounds of multiple people yelling could be heard over the rushing water.

"Sounds like they're drowning... Like fifth wife." Nikolai stated, approaching the metal grate on the floor where the sounds were coming from as he leaned down, observing that the water level was going up steadily. Brianna paled slightly as she continued to listen to the people struggling for survival in the lower rooms before someone spoke up, shouting above the sounds of the water.

"We are trapped down here between two gates and the water is rising!" The man with the English accent yelled. "Can you see any way to open these gates?"

"Yeah, I needed break anyway..." Nikolai slurred, sitting down on the floor as he heard something click. Takeo stepped forward, standing on the grate where the Russian was located as more clicking was heard.

"Something's happening..." Tank said curiously, walking over and adding his weight to the mechanism. "I think we need more weight!"

"Quickly!" Richtofen shouted, walking over as Brianna and Isabella jumped on the platform as well. "Stay vhere you are!"

The gears corresponding with the gates continued clicking due to the additional pressure until they stopped and... Nothing happened. The doors hadn't opened and the water level was still going up.

"Hurry!" The trapped people yelled desperately below the gate. "Please help us!"

Everyone looked at each other with panicked expressions, not knowing what else to do while they listened to the people below struggle to stay alive in the rising currents. 

 _There has to be something else..._ Isabella realized, thinking quickly as she scanned the area for anything that could help them.  _That's it!_ She thought suddenly, looking towards the small metal chute that was the source of the water flowing into the room.

"I've got it!" She yelled, taking everyone by surprise as she ran off in the direction they had come from. "Just stay here!"

"Vait! Verdammt!" Richtofen cursed, hearing the gears moving the other way as he watched Isabella dashing away. Jumping off the metal grate himself, he ran after her, not trusting her to handle this herself without screwing it up.

"Hold on a second!" Dempsey shouted, watching them disappear through the dark tunnel as he noticed Brianna looking down in horror, seeing that the water was close to reaching the top of the underground cavern. 

"Hang on!" She shouted, trying to reassure them. "We're trying to get the gates open!" 

 _Hurry Izzy..._ Brianna thought desperately, hoping they would be able to save these strangers in time...

  
"Come on Eddy!" Isabella teased between breaths, looking back momentarily at the pissed off doctor. She sprinted across the bridge, grimacing for a split second while thinking about having to make her way through the mud pit ahead.

The German caught up a few seconds later as the two followed the path through the maze, coming out near a small waterfall falling over a shallow pond.

"I hope this works!" Isabella shouted, smiling at Richtofen before he could say anything as she dove head first into the waterfall, sliding down the metal chute behind it. The German soldier could hear her childlike laughter echoing down the tunnel as he rolled his eyes, looking at the water slide with a distasteful expression before jumping in after her and cursing whoever had built this strange temple...

"Wooooooooooooooooooooo!" Isabella shouted, unable to contain her excitement while sliding down the dark cavern rapidly. 

 _Hmmm..._  She thought as she saw the end of the slide approaching. _I didn't really think about the landing..._

"Shit!" She yelled, making Dempsey turn around a split second before she tackled him to the ground, making the gears click again as more weight was added. 

"Scheisse!" Richtofen screeched a few seconds behind her, as he too crash landed onto the pressure plate as a strange sound was heard before the doors finally opened.

"That did it!" The man below yelled happily, relief evident in his voice. "The way is clear!"

"We did it!" Brianna shouted, high-fiving her sister after helping her up and heading outside. The rest of the group followed them out, all of them stopping momentarily as they exited the cave, seeing that the eclipse was no longer in effect. 

"What happened to the eclipse?"

"Ve must have completed zhat part of ze puzzle..." Richtofen explained, emptying water out of his hat while sending Isabella an unamused glare. He trudged towards the main room, the rest of the team following a few steps behind. 

"It vould seem zhat in order to complete zhis process, ve must activate ze eclipse before each schtep..."

Everyone continued following along while listening, slowly making their way back to the room with the altar when the doctor stopped dead in his tracks, forcing the others to do the same. 

Richtofen pulled the JGb215 from his back while everyone stared at him curiously until realizing the same thing he had just seconds ago... It was dead silent in the jungle. Something that never happened. No birds, no bugs, no annoying monkeys screeching in the distance... It was as if someone had pressed the mute button on the jungle itself. 

 _This is not a good omen..._ Isabella thought as she noticed dark clouds beginning to form in the distance. A few seconds later a loud rumbling could be heard as the first few raindrops began to fall...


	26. LEEEROOOYYY JENKINSSS!

"Zhis vay!" Richtofen shouted as the sky continued to darken, the thunder in the distance growing louder as everyone made their way across the bridge, continuing towards the center room. 

"Ve must hurry..." The doctor urged while sprinting towards one of the stone buttons, watching as Tank, Isabella and Takeo stood near the other three. Richtofen sighed as he noticed he was now completely drenched from the unexpected downpour, glancing around at the others who seemed to have similar looks of annoyance on their faces.

"Come on! Let's do this already!" Tank shouted, snapping the doctor out of his thoughts as he tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for his cue to participate in this madness.

"Ein... Zvei... Drei!" Richtofen counted as everyone pressed their buttons at the same time resulting in another eclipse as the rain disappeared suddenly, making Isabella sigh in relief. 

"Finally, I can start to let this dry out..." She mumbled to herself as she began to squeeze the water out of her dark locks. Brianna giggled a bit while hearing her sister's remark as she shook out her short blonde tresses, knowing that her hair would be completely dry in maybe... Twenty minutes? 

 _Ah, the advantages of short hair..._ Brianna thought, grinning victoriously as she watched her younger sister struggling with the wet mess on top of her head. _Not that we should really be worrying about how we look right now anyway..._ She remembered suddenly, watching as the others sprinted off towards the mud pit after the German.

"Come on Izzy!" She shouted, snapping her sister out of her beauty routine as she watched the younger woman grab her ballistic knives, holding them at the ready before running forward to join her. Brianna loaded the rest of her shells into her Stakeout as both women dodged the spike trap, dashing through the shadowy maze to join their comrades on the other side.

Isabella jogged ahead towards the exit, stopping to watch as something small flew through the air, making a rather... Interesting noise as it crashed into the side of the cliff just above the water slide. She had to cover her mouth with one hand as she cracked up inwardly. 

 _Really Treyarch?_ Isabella thought, still stifling a few laughs as Brianna caught up before noticing the large crystal sticking out of the side of the rock ahead, illuminated slightly from the eerie blue light of the eclipse. 

"I wonder what that thing is..." She said, glancing at Isabella and watching as she shrugged, not quite sure herself.

"How curious..." Takeo commented, watching the doctor's actions suspiciously as he observed him drawing the alien weapon from his back and aiming at the crystal before firing. 

The rest of the group watched curiously as the strange meteorite shrunk to about a third of it's original size before Richtofen wasted no time in kicking it towards the water slide where it disappeared down the chute. Turning around to face his unconventional allies, he cleared his throat before preparing to explain what need to be done next.

"Now zhen, ve just need to-"

"LEEEROOOYYY JENKINSSS!" Isabella shouted suddenly while diving in head first after the crystal as everyone stood there, somewhat shocked by the randomness of what just happened as they listened to the young woman's laughter echoing from the room below.

Tank and Brianna facepalmed at the exact same time while the doctor and Takeo exchanged looks of 'wtf-is-wrong-with-that-girl' as Nikolai belched loudly, too drunk at the moment to care. 

Sighing in irritation, Dempsey tried his best to keep the look of badassness on his face while jumping onto the slide as he reluctantly found that he was enjoying this small reminder of his childhood...

"Shit! I would have paid for this!" He chuckled while soaring through the dark cavern quickly, noticing the end of the ride approaching as he spotted Isabella standing near the geyser in the corner of the underground room. Landing on the metal grate at the bottom, he shook his clothes out momentarily before walking up to the dark haired woman who was staring at the crystal with interest as the water beneath the geyser began to bubble up underneath it.

"Who's Leroy Jenkins?" Tank questioned in a deep voice, genuinely curious as Isabella jumped, not noticing the Marine standing behind her.

"Holy Zombie Jesus Tank!" Isabella gasped quickly, making the blonde man behind her chuckle as a stream of water shot up from the ground, sending the miniature crystal flying upwards. "Don't sneak up on me like that..." She hissed, fighting the blush on her face while she crossed her arms playfully, turning once again to stare at the water bursting through the ceiling.

"I hope that was supposed to happen..." Isabella muttered as she began to play with her hair nervously, glancing up at the Marine as she remembered he had asked her a question. "Oh, and it's just a figure of speech, you know? Like when someone runs into battle guns blazing..." She tried to explain, watching tiredly as Dempsey just smirked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Just never mind..." Isabella sighed, turning to exit the caves when a gentle hand on her arm was all she felt before she suddenly found herself pressed against a firm chest. She looked up into icy blue eyes, finding a slightly seductive smirk on the face she was now inches away from. Her heart began to beat faster as she felt the warmth on her cheeks return quickly, wondering why she was so nervous around him still. 

 _I mean, I know why... It's just..._ She thought, subconsciously beginning to gravitate closer to the blonde man who was slowly leaning closer as well.

Dempsey stared down at the woman in his arms momentarily, watching her through half lidded eyes as he pulled her closer, wondering if she felt the same things towards him that he felt about her. _This girl..._ Tank thought a split second before their lips met, grinning mischievously as he moved a hand to her lower back, pressing them both together as he fully embraced the amazing sensations she always managed to stir within him. 

Isabella reached up, using her delicate fingers to gently caress his shoulders before working her way up to the back of his neck and hearing him groan in approval, deepening the kiss as they both fought for dominance over the other. 

 _Ugh, why the fuck can't we call a fuckin' time out or somethin'..._ Dempsey thought angrily, feeling himself getting rather excited before ending the kiss as both of them struggled to catch their breath.

"Mmmm..." Isabella sighed while moving to kiss the Marine's neck, slowly moving up his jawline in a teasing manner towards his ear before whispering. "Too bad we're stuck in this fucking jungle, right?"

"Tell me about it..." He growled, finding it more and more difficult to control himself around her. He shivered involuntarily as she moved over a sensitive spot on his collarbone, running a hand through her hair as he pulled her back a bit to look into her eyes. 

"Now stop it before you make me regret it even more..." He teased, running his hands down her sides once more as he gave her hips a squeeze. Giggling slightly, Isabella leaned her head against his chest as she gave him a quick hug, continuing to enjoy their brief moment together. No zombies, no evil demon girl hissing in their ears, no crazy German doctor threatening to preform an early autopsy on them-

"Vhat are you two doing down zhere?!" Richtofen shouted, sounded rather irritated as Dempsey smirked before glancing upwards towards the hole above the geyser. 

"Zhere is no time to vaste vith zhis-"

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" Tank barked towards the ceiling, rolling his eyes before muttering to himself. "Fuckin' kraut bastard..."

"I heard zhat Dempshey!" Richtofen screeched from above, sounding rather pissed off and making both Isabella and Tank cover their mouths while they laughed to avoid further trouble as a familiar, yet strange sound could be heard in the distance.

"What was th-"

The blue light that was present during the eclipse disappeared as the storm returned in full force now that they had come back to the present. Dempsey pulled his Galil from his back as he held it close, feeling the uneasiness in the air around him as he heard the thunder crashing outside.

"Bri!" Isabella shouted towards the ceiling, seeing nothing but dark skies in the small hole above her as the sound of boards being ripped down made her heart sink.

"Shit..." She said out loud as Tank aimed his Galil at a window across the room, firing and shattering the heads of three zombies that were approaching. Drawing her knives, Isabella jogged across the room, rebuilding the fallen boards as she noticed another zombie in the window near the cave's entrance. 

Dashing towards the barricades, she slashed the undead attacker in the throat twice before it gurgled, spitting out blood before dropping to the floor. Two more zombies began clawing at the boards in front of her as she knifed them both to death, not noticing the zombie that had dropped down from the ceiling to her right...

A sharp pain in her shoulder made her cry out as she felt herself being knocked to the ground, looking up to see a pair of hungry yellow eyes getting closer to her face before-

Isabella closed her eyes, expecting the worst as the sound of bullets whizzing past her made her open them in shock. The zombie was on the floor next to her, it's head blown to pieces as she slowly struggled to get up and away from the bloody mess. Tank was at her side a few seconds later, pulling her to her feet as he dragged her towards the door to the power.

"Come on, we can't stay here..." He said in a serious tone, urging her forward as the sounds of multiple zombies screeching behind them could be heard. Isabella began to panic, using the adrenaline her body was fueling her with to get a hold of herself and run on her own before looking up at Dempsey with a smile while sprinting beside him. 

"Thanks." She huffed, running through the underground corridors as they both headed to the power room. "I owe you one..." She said, winking at the blonde soldier before pulling her M16 out and aiming it towards the crowd that was about to rush through the doorway.

Dempsey smirked, raising his Galil as well while simultaneously watching the woman at his side. _I've got to hand it to her..._  He thought proudly, noticing the improvements in her aim and combat skills recently. _She's gotten a lot tougher..._

The moans of the undead echoed through the hallways as the first few in the horde stumbled through the doorway, spying the fresh meat in front of them.

"Sam!" One of the zombies hissed before charging forward, making Isabella's eyes widen a bit as she wondered if she was hallucinating or not. 

 _Either way..._  Isabella thought, a deadly expression on her face as she aimed carefully at the monsters sprinting their way, her finger sliding over the trigger. _You're all going to to die today!_

Dempsey and Isabella unloaded on the horde at the same time, decimating the large crowd quickly and efficiently. As the last zombie in the group fell to the ground, they both glanced at each other as Tank raised an eyebrow at the silence. The only thing that could be heard were the muted sounds of the storm outside. Surely, it couldn't be that easy...

"The rest of the zombies..." Isabella mumbled, getting Tank's attention as she slowly realized what was going on. "They're going after the others!"


	27. Rainstorms and Revelations

"Verdammt!" Richtofen cursed to himself as he ran towards the entrance to the cave past Speed Cola, hearing Nikolai and Takeo firing their guns behind him as they tried to navigate their way through the torrential downpour. 

 _Zhis... Unusual veather is going to slow us down! Not to mention ze antics of Izabella und ze American..._ He thought distastefully, his top lip curling into a sneer as he ran under the cover of the underground tunnel, blasting a few zombies that were running towards him with the JGb215 now that he could actually see without rain pelting him in the face. Kicking his miniature minions out of his path angrily, he turned to see Takeo firing his AK at a small group, silencing them all before sprinting over to where he was standing.

"This storm seems quite strange..." Takeo commented, using the end of his gun to smash a zombie in the face that had tried to claw through the dirt ceiling. He fired a few bullets into it's skull after it had dropped to the ground, just to be sure.

Richtofen thought about it for a moment while watching Brianna round up the zombies, dashing around quickly and avoiding them while simultaneously drawing them into a large group as Nikolai stood to the side, blowing their heads off every time she would run past him. The doctor smirked, watching as their strange method of zombie killing worked somehow as the large group that was following them soon become a few mangled crawlers.

"You missed a little bit!" Richtofen shouted gleefully, pointing to one of the crawlers and giggling as he watched the legless creature claw its way across the muddy ground. "It's schtill alive!"

Nikolai frowned, turning back to the crawler for a moment before bringing his boot up to meet the zombie's face, sending it flying across the room as he heard the doctor laugh joyfully behind him.

Brianna trotted towards the caves, not really caring about the rain now seeing as she was already soaking wet. Stepping into the cave, she pushed her blonde bangs out of her face, leaning against the wall slightly as she caught her breath. Nikolai walked up a few seconds later, reloading his gun while grinning. 

"I just killed a billion zombies, why is no one helping?"

"I helped!" Brianna piped up, crossing her arm defensively as she glared up at the Soviet.

"You ran around in circles." Nikolai commented dryly, glancing at Richtofen and Takeo for backup as they both turned to walk away, not willing to subject themselves to their petty arguments...

"Um, yeah! I ran around in circles to gather them up so you could shoot them! Duh...?" Brianna explained sarcastically, staring down the Russian as they both had murderous looks on their faces. Nikolai muttered something in Russian to himself after a few moments as he pulled his bottle from his jacket, taking a large swig before reloading his HK, ignoring the blonde woman still giving him a death glare.

"Vill you two hurry up!" Richtofen shouted, growing rather impatient with the amount of delays lately, his mind only focused on completing one goal. His most important mission. 

 _So close..._  He thought to himself, becoming excited just thinking about the mayhem that was about to ensue. 

_Soon it vill all be mine! Zhe power vill be all mine! Und none for you Samantha!_

Takeo, Richtofen, Nikolai and Brianna made their way down the dark corridors leading to the power room, firing at zombies along the way. Brianna blasted two zombies in the chest with her shotgun as they sprinted towards her, reloading for a moment as she heard muted gunfire echoing in the distance. The other men seemed to hear it as well as they all picked up the pace, heading to reunite with their teammates.

Richtofen pulled the sniper rifle from his back, turning around to fire at the small horde chasing them and grinning as he blew apart two of their heads with a single bullet. Takeo gunned down several zombies trying to jump through a window with his AK while Nikolai spun around, unloading on the group behind them drunkenly. Though he wasn't scoring many head shots, he did manage to cut the group down with the ridiculous amount of bullets he was firing into them, blowing off just about every limb but their heads.

"Take that arm! I'll get the rest of you later!" The Russian chuckled while reloading as he jogged to catch up with the others.

Brianna sprinted into the power room, noticing the surrounding zombies heading towards something in the corner.

"Shit!" Isabella yelled, tossing her M16 to the side as she pulled out her knives. "I'm out of ammo!"

Dempsey frowned, hearing the click from his weapon that meant he too was out of bullets as he backed up against the wall while pulling out his knife. "Well this freakin' sucks..." He grumbled, watching as the small horde closed in on them...

"Stay close!" He shouted, tugging Isabella back by her sleeve as she slashed a zombie that reached out to grab her arm. Tank kicked an undead woman in the chest, sending her stumbling backwards before he plunged his knife into her skull, looking up for a moment and noticing a familiar soldier in the distance...

A couple blasts of yellow blinded them both as the zombies around them shrunk to baby size, both of them seizing the opportunity and kicking them out of their sight. 

Isabella sighed in relief as she saw their comrades running towards them. Brianna was giving her an unusually joyful smile that only fat kids give to cake, Takeo was looking honorable, Nikolai was looking well, drunk... 

 _And Richtofen..._  Isabella thought, glancing at the German who was busy reloading his alien weapon.  _Always looking suspicious-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Brianna crashed into her, wrapping her arms around her small frame in a bear hug. "Don't just go diving into water falls you fool!" The blonde woman scolded, a relieved smile on her face as she nearly squeezed the life out of her younger sibling.

"Ack, okay Bri- ehIcan't- geh, can't brea-the-"

Dempsey chuckled as he watched the two women momentarily, picking up his Galil as he scanned the area for any undead they might have missed. For now it seemed like the coast was clear however, as he noticed how quiet it had gotten all of a sudden along with the rest of his teammates.

"Ah, it seems zhat ze veather has finally cleared up!" Richtofen announced cheerfully while straightening his hat as he lead the group outside, knowing there must be a crawler around somewhere...

Sure enough, the thunder and lightning had ceased as the clouds receded, letting a dark sky shine through as the real light from the moon illuminated the surrounding jungle. The stars in the night sky glowed brightly against the velvety black curtain of dusk slowly falling upon the ancient ruins, making for a very beautiful nighttime scene.

Brianna and Isabella both yawned at the exact same time as Richtofen sighed in irritation, noticing similar looks of fatigue on the faces of his other comrades. Trying his best to stifle a tired sigh himself, he knew it would be smart to take a break while they had the chance.

"Ve vill rest for ze time being..." Richtofen instructed, sounding rather annoyed as they all worked out a schedule of who would keep watch and in what order until morning. "Until zhen, gute nacht!~" Edward sang cheerfully, laughing to himself as he turned and walked into the jungle leaving everyone to wonder why the fuck he was so damn creepy sometimes.

"Check this out..." Dempsey said curiously, getting everyone's attention as he noticed a small blue and yellow radio lying on the ground behind a few weeds. Walking over to where it was sitting, he picked it up, brushing the dust off before turning it on as static filled everyone's ears. They all listened in silence for a moment before a familiar voice on the tape started speaking.

"Sounds like that guy from earlier..." Isabella whispered, hearing the British accent through the static as the recording began to play.

_"The heat and humidity is just excruciating. According to the locals, the temple should be in this mountain range, just up this river... Gary, do you hear that? A waterfall, we must be close! Hand me the binoculars-"_

The radio hissed a few times, pausing for a moment before playing again. _"There is a structure up ahead. If this is truly the gateway to Argatha, my work will finally be validated!"_

A younger sounding male with a more American accent spoke up on the tape as everyone continued to listen. _"Uhh, Brock, I don't think this place is abandoned-"_

 _"Don't be silly! This place has to be thousands of years old..."_ Brock cleared his throat before speaking into the tape recorder seriously as he began to record his discoveries. _"I have found some unfinished carvings around the structure I can't make out. They do not look like... Wait, what is this?"_ A few strange sounds were heard in the background on the radio, as well as the shocked gasps of the two men.

 _"What the hell is that? Why is the sky dark?"_ Gary stuttered, sounding slightly panicked as a familiar inhuman groaning could be heard.

 _"It's an eclipse!"_ Brock shouted as the static began to make their voices difficult to hear. _"We must've-"_

_"RUN!"_

_"What are those things?!"_ Gary yelled, sounding far away as the sounds of the two men running were all that could be heard over the moans of the undead. _"Zombies. We'll have to find another way-_

_"Zombies! What're you talking about?"_

_"The writings must've been right... No! Don't touch that!"_ The sound of a door slamming echoed on the radio as the British man continued in a tired voice.  _"Damn, take a look around and try to find a way out..."_ The angry yells of the zombies were the last thing heard before the tape hissed again, pausing one more time before playing the remainder of the message.

Once again, Brock's voice filled their ears, though this time he sounded different. Not as cheery as he had the past few times they heard him speak. _"I have been trapped in the temple structure for days..."_ He began slowly, truly sounding exhausted. _"Gary is dead. I don't see a way out of here. I can still hear the zombies outside. I fear this is my last recording, as the battery's about to die and I will soon follow... One thing I can be certain of, is that blood-"_

Click.

The tape stopped playing as the radio shut off, leaving everyone to wonder what Brock was trying to say.

"Great," Dempsey said sarcastically, tossing the now useless device aside. "More depressing shit..."

Isabella was silent for a moment, not hearing the others discussion as she was in her own world thinking about what she had just heard on the tape as everyone began walking away. 

 _We go back to when they were trapped here every time we activate the eclipse..._ Isabella confirmed slowly, trying to understand how the ancient technology worked. _I wonder if I could see those writings he was talking about, maybe I could figure out how to use them to get back to our time..._

Richtofen had agreed to take first watch as everyone began to simmer down, trying their best to find a comfortable place to sleep. Which in the jungle, was damn near impossible. 

Nikolai was slumped against the Speed Cola machine, snoring away and clutching his bottle much like a child would do to a teddy bear, looking rather content as the Imperial soldier noticed this, muttering something about dishonor as he leaned against the wall opposite of him. Hearing the girls and the American walking away to find their own places of rest, he was left with his thoughts as he wondered how he was going to stop the insane doctor from completing his plans. 

 _He is collecting tools for some purpose..._  Takeo reasoned, thinking back on the golden rod Richtofen was trying so hard to hide. _Isabella is onto him and Dempsey is waking up... Slowly but surely. Maybe he will remember someday..._

Isabella and Brianna strolled up to the area with the mine cart, looking around as they searched for someplace comfortable to sit. Brianna hopped up into the rickety looking cart, pulling her sweatshirt off her waist and bunching it up into a makeshift pillow as she leaned her head against the side.

"Good luck falling asleep in that thi-"

Isabella's jaw nearly hit the floor as she glanced at her sister who was passed out in the mine cart before she could even finish her sentence. 

 _Well FML..._  The dark haired woman thought suddenly, putting her hands on her hips as she smirked at her older sister snoozing away. 

"Where the f am I supposed to crash now...?" She wondered out loud as a few twigs snapping on the path behind her made her tense up as she grabbed her ballistics instinctively.

Stepping around the corner cautiously, she crept down the grassy path, searching the shadows for any threat that might be present. Finding nothing after a few moments, Isabella sighed, calming down slightly and putting away her knives while turning to walk back up the hill...

"Exploring ze jungle by yourself at night?" A familiar voice called from the shadows. "Very dangerous und unvise..." Richtofen chided, chuckling lightly as he emerged from his hiding place in the dark. 

"You are supposed to be schleeping, ja?" He questioned, the tone is his voice hard to read as his green orbs sparkled in the moonlight.

"I can't sleep. This place is giving me a weird vibe..." Isabella stated, frowning slightly while trying to convince herself that was the truth. The truth was, she wanted some answers. She was sick of not knowing what was going on as the doctor led them blindly through the twists and turns of this strange jungle, never bothering to explain why it was he knew so much.

 _Why do I even care?_ She wondered, feeling a wave of frustration wash over her out of nowhere. She’d tried so hard to follow the rules, to do her best in assisting the others with these pointless ‘easter eggs’ and for what? To lose Zack and make her sister hate her... To be trapped in this endless game forever? What was the point?

_Honestly if I could right now, I’d force quit my Xbox..._

“I understand ze feeling of hopeless all too vell Izabella,” Richtofen stated, giving her a somewhat concerned look as he observed her staring off into the darkness. “But ve cannot give up now… Not vhen ve are so close-”

“Close to what exactly?!” Isabella questioned, sick and tired of holding her tongue as she turned to face him again. She waited for an explanation while she stood there. A drop of information... _Anything_ that would let her know he was on their side for sure...

"Zhat is none of your concern-"

"It _is_!" She yelled, cutting him off despite the terrifying glare he was sending her. "It _is_ my concern and everyone else's considering we're stuck here with you!" Isabella snapped, stressed from the fighting and lack of sleep as she felt her eyes beginning to water.

“Samantha is playing tricks vith your mind...” Edward warned, already not liking where this conversation was going as he knew he couldn't afford any interruptions to his plans. “Do not let her manipulate you.”

“You know what, _I_ understand her…” Isabella went on, knowing it was crazy after everything she'd been through, but meaning every word. “And if I was Samantha……. I’d hate you too.” She finished harshly, glaring right at the doctor as his eyes widened momentarily.

Isabella stood her ground as she watched an interesting array of emotions flash behind his eyes, all of them gone in the next instant as he laughed insanely.

“You zhink I care if you und any of zhese other fools despise me?” Richtofen replied, appearing strangely calm for being confronted like this. He took a step closer, his looming shadow seeming much more intimidating amidst the darkness of the jungle.

“Now zhen, if I vas _you_ …” Richtofen repeated, making Isabella’s words sound twice as vicious when he spoke them. “I vould schtay out of my vay.” He finished lowly, giving the dark haired woman in front of him a look that would have made anyone else run for the hills.

“Don’t worry, I will.” Isabella practically spat, turning on a dime and stomping away before anything more could be said. She could have sworn she heard some sort of foreign mumbling behind her, but paid it no mind.

 _I don't need his help..._ Isabella's inner voice grumbled, making her clench her fists tightly as she walked. She headed towards where Dempsey was sleeping, continuing to repeat Richtofen's words in her head as she frowned.

_I'll win this game no matter what......._ _And I won't need his help to do it..._


	28. Do We Have A Deal?

The next morning was rather awkward to say the least, as everyone passed the time killing zombies by day and working on, what Isabella assumed was the 'easter egg', when they had a moment in between waves.

Since their encounter last night, Isabella had stayed far away from the German doctor. Luckily, he seemed to want nothing to do with her either as they all continued on with their normal routines, too occupied with slaughtering the undead to worry about anything trivial...

 _I'll just figure out my own plan... Like I always do..._ Isabella said to herself, too absorbed in her thoughts to notice exactly where she was running. She paused for a second to take in her surroundings, realizing she wasn't anywhere near her teammates anymore...

She had followed the underground path to the power room, moving forward cautiously as she heard the tell tale sounds of gunfire coming from above the dirt ceiling. Isabella crept forward into the shadowy room, listening closely for the sounds of the undead as a large flash of lightning caused her to jump in surprise. The world began to spin suddenly as she closed her eyes, willing the sickening teleportation-like sensation away, wondering what the hell was going on...

  
Opening her eyes a few seconds later, she gasped aloud as she realized instantly where she was. The multiple television monitors and operating chair gave it away instantly as her panicked gaze fell on the tray full of sharp tools on the table close by. 

 _At least I'm not in the chair this time..._ Isabella realized, backing up slowly while scanning the room for anyone else. She felt the knob of the metal door behind her as she tried desperately to open it, cursing lowly as it refused to budge.

"Son of a bitch-"

"It's no use..." A tiny voice from the shadows said calmly, making the dark haired woman spin around in surprise.

"Hello again Isabella~" Samantha sang almost cheerfully, waving to the girl in front of her as though she were a close friend. She emerged from the darkness, smiling sweetly as Isabella backed up against the wall behind her, a glare on her face as she gave the small child in front of her a suspicious look. 

 _What is this shit?_ She thought, unsure of what to say and very confused by all this. _It has to be a trap or something..._

"You are wondering why I'm not attacking you, right?" Samantha questioned with a laugh as Isabella stared back silently.

"Well, you have tried to kill me once or twice..." Izzy growled, sounding quite bitter as the demon girl picked up on this.

"I'd like to put our differences aside... For now." Samantha explained, watching the dark haired woman's face carefully as she continued to speak. "I need your help..."

Isabella's eyes widened as she considered the girl's words. But she knew enough about games in general to know when to keep her poker face on...

"Oh really?" Isabella said sarcastically, suddenly noticing that she was unarmed. "And what makes you think I'm going to help you?"

"You will." Samantha replied confidently, sending Isabella an evil smile as she giggled. "Unless... you don't want to go home? But judging by what's written in here..."

The demon child pulled a small purple journal from behind her back as green eyes widened in shock.

"You want to return to your time..." Samantha continued, smirking as she watched the girl in front of her listening closely. "I can make that happen... but you have to do something for me in return..."

 _Always a goddamn catch_ , Isabella thought stubbornly, crossing her arms as she waited for the girl to tell her what it was that she wanted from her. _She really had no other choice than to cooperate if she wanted to end this game..._

"Well...?"

"I know that awful Richtofen is planning something and I need you to stop him..."

Isabella snorted, "How do you think I'm going to be able to do that exactly?" She chuckled sarcastically, smirking openly at the young girl in front of her. _If this is her game then why can't she-_

"You'll know what to do when the time comes," Samantha said, sounding worried for once as Isabella watched the demon girl glance down at her hands momentarily, staring as she could have sworn she saw them fade slightly. "Here!"

Isabella caught her journal as Sam threw it to her, looking it over for a second as she noticed a few extra pages in the back...

"Our time is up for now!" Sam hissed, cackling madly as lightning engulfed the small room, blinding Isabella as she felt the floor slip from beneath her feet. 

Opening her eyes when she felt solid ground once more, she blinked slowly a few times, trying to place where she was yet again. _The center room... but what the-_

"Wait... I'm on top of the..."

Isabella froze, eyes widening like a child at a candy store as she stared at the alien machine in front of her.

"HELL TO THE YES! HAHA!" She shouted, laughing wildly as she skipped towards the device, feeding her Ballistic knives to the glowing gears inside. A small ding was heard a few seconds later as the newly titled, Krauss Refibrillator popped out. Isabella grinned, admiring her new set of knives for a moment before sheathing them in the dual holsters at her waist and heading towards the stairs. 

 _I can't wait to shoot someone with this thing..._ She thought grinning as she trotted down the stairs happily, reaching the bottom of the altar as the sounds of stones shifting behind her could be heard.

The staircase leading to the Pack-A-Punch had reset itself, becoming unreachable once more. _Dammit, I was hoping it would stay open from now on..._ She thought, slightly irritated at the fact that they had to open it each time. _What a pain in the a-_

Hearing a sound to her left, Isabella drew her knives instinctively while moving forward, ready to eliminate whatever threat it might be. Sighing, she relaxed when she saw it was just Brianna and Dempsey making their way through the spike traps.

"Hey!" Brianna called, dashing through the death trap at the sight of her sister as the Marine cursed, stopping reluctantly as the bamboo chutes shot up a couple inches in front of him.

"Watch it with the spikes! I got valuables down there..." Tank growled, glaring at the blonde woman from the other side as he waited for the trap to reset itself.

Brianna rolled her eyes, coming to stop in front of her sister while noticing the far off expression on her face. "Where'd you go?" She asked, sounding out of breath and slightly worried as she waited for her response.

"I headed downstairs..." Isabella mumbled, not wanting to think back on why she had gone down there in the first place.

"Well, you shouldn't just run off by yourself!" The older blonde woman scolded. "You of all people know how dangerous it is to-"

"I know, I'm sorry..." Isabella rushed, thinking back on her conversation with Samantha. "But Bri you have to listen, we need to-"

An explosion on the other side of the room cut Isabella off as Dempsey made his way through the spike trap, all three of them moving towards the cloud of dust slowly. Coughing could be heard in the plume of smoke as Takeo stepped out of the wreckage, followed by Nikolai, Richtofen and three hissing crawlers.

Isabella gave her sister a look that said they would have to talk later when they were able to have some privacy, something that was considered a luxury around here...

"Now vhere vere ve?" Richtofen said cheerfully, getting the groups attention as he moved towards the stone button on the wall next to Quick Revive.

Everyone knew the drill by now as the other three buttons were occupied by the remaining three soldiers, leaving Isabella and Brianna to stand back and watch as they all pressed the stones into the wall, resulting in the eerie blue glow of the eclipse filling the skies around them once more.

"We're back in the past... Again," Tank grumbled, getting tired of doing this whole eclipse thing over and over and over. "I'm gettin' kinda bored here..."

"Ahaha!" Richtofen giggled, "But zhis is so much fun! People are dying in such creative vays! Ahahahaha!"

"Goddammit Doc, just keep your craziness to yourself and tell us what we have to do next, would ya?" Dempsey said, fiddling with his gun anxiously as he glanced around the room, keeping an eye on the three crawlers.

Richtofen calmed down for the moment, shooting a glare towards the American soldier before walking to the front of the room near the left fountain. 

"Zhese are vhat ve're looking for..." He explained, gesturing towards the symbol on the wall as everyone stepped forward to get a better look. Richtofen drew the knife from his belt, grinning as he brought it down across the front of the rock plate as a strange sound was heard before a blue light illuminated the alien symbol upon it.

"I'm better at cutting out schpleens..." The doctor drawled, laughing as he glanced back at the rest of the group. "But zhis looks nice..."

"Like second wife," Nikolai gestured, sliding his finger across his throat before laughing, noticing everyone staring his way. "She was bitch..." He explained, shrugging his shoulders before pulling another bottle of vodka from his magical pack. Isabella laughed slightly, nudging Brianna who was silent, shaking her head as they continued to watch their conversation unfold.

"Vhy danke Nikolai, zhat is a good example I suppose..."

"Exactly how many steps are there left?" Isabella questioned, ready to recieve silence as her only answer...

"Ve are very close now..." Richtofen said to himself more than her as he smirked, thinking of his long term plans. _I have ze golden rod, now I just need ze focusing stone... But how vill I get it?_

The doctor realized everyone was staring at him as he cleared his throat, looking at the group he continued with what he was saying. "Ve have everyzhing ve need to complete ze last few schteps... In fact, after zhis all ze crystals should be in order..." Richtofen explained, hoping no one would question him further.

"Fuckin' Treyarch," Dempsey spat angrily, looking towards the sky as everyone stared at him like he was crazy. "I swear if I ever get outta here, I'm gonna find him and-"

For once Richtofen was glad for the American's presence as he interrupted him, directing everyone's attention away from the questions at hand.

"Dammit Dempsey! Stop breaking the forth wall!" Isabella chided, putting her hands on her hips in irritation as she watched everyone seeming to question  _her_ sanity...

"I think you have all lost your minds!" Takeo said sternly, as he moved forward to find the tiles. "Let's hurry so we can find them..."

Isabella chuckled, jogging to catch up with the Imperial. "We should split up so we can cover more ground quicker..." She suggested, glancing at Takeo for approval as he nodded and continued forward. Spinning around quickly, she waved at Brianna and the rest of her teammates as she headed towards the spike trap on the other side of the room. 

"We'll all just meet back here when we're done!" She shouted, smiling one last time before dodging the spikes and hurrying to catch up with the Japanese man.

 _Vhere does she get off giving ze orders?_ The German thought irritatedly, eyes narrowing at her as he watched her go. Sighing, he glanced at his partner who was currently draining the last few drops of alcohol from his clearly already empty bottle. _Vell, at least zhings are getting done..._

Brianna sighed dejectedly as she found herself once again, not knowing what to do. _Once again, Izzy runs off to have her own little adventure..._ She thought sadly, wondering why she couldn't be more of a leader like her sister.

"Come on then," Dempsey said gruffly, sounding rather put off as he turned around, heading the same way Richtofen and Nikolai had gone. "Let's get this over with..." 

 _The sooner we get out of here, the better..._ He thought, practically glaring holes through the German walking in front of him. _I'm gonna have to keep an eye on him..._

...

Meanwhile, underground...

...

"This rooks right..." Takeo said while knifing a symbol on the wall near the power switches. Isabella nodded, scanning the room for any more of the stone plates as they proceeded across the bridge and towards the exit. Isabella spotted a symbol to their immediate right as she stepped up to it, swinging her blade across it's surface lightly as three dots were illuminated by a soft blue glow...

Continuing forward through the underground tunnels, Takeo led the way as he stopped to knife the symbol next to the chalk outline of the Stakeout as the sound of the eclipse ending echoed throughout the area.

"Taks..." Isabella said lowly, getting his attention as he stopped in the water he was currently wading through, turning to look up at the young woman standing on the wooden platform who seemed to be slightly nervous to talk with him. His dark eyes locked with hers for a moment as he watched a small hand grab at a piece of dark hair next to her face as she fidgeted with it, looking at the ground for a moment while trying to find her words. 

_I don't want to have to do this alone... But I don't know if I can really trust him..._

"What is it Isabella-san?" He inquired curiously, stepping out of the water and joining her on the platform as he waited patiently for her to continue.

"O-okay... This is going to sound weird but here's goes nothing..."

After she had finished explaining her latest encounter with Sam to him as well as her suspicions concerning the doctor, she released the breath she didn't realize she was holding as she waited for his reaction to it all since he hadn't said a single word the entire time she had been talking. Worrying slightly, that he might be offended by her accusations towards someone he had been fighting along side of for longer than he had even known her, she looked down, beginning to prepare some sort of apology in her head.

"I know he's your comrade and-"

"One day... I wirr make Richtofen wish he had amnesia." Takeo said firmly, looking at Isabella with a serious expression as she stood there, slightly shocked by his answer.

"But I thought..."

"I know what Richtofen has done to us and so do you," The Imperial stated, sounding neither angry nor upset as he looked around the room cautiously for a moment, making sure they were truly alone.

"The memory wipes, the experimentation..." He continued as Isabella could only stare at him sadly as he told her his story. "He acts as though he is our comrade... But truly, I think he is plotting against us."

Isabella stood there unsure of what to say next as she knew they had to continue with his plan.  _But now that Samantha knows he's up to something, how can I just act like nothing ever happened-_

"You cannot trust the word of the demon either." Takeo warned, snapping his teammate out of her thoughts as she knew he was right. She could only guess that Samantha would betray her in the end if that wasn't already her original plan. The promise of 'going home' was never a real possibility Isabella realized sadly, clenching her fists slightly as the thought of her being stuck here forever flashed through her mind. 

 _N_ _o..._ She thought suddenly, her usual fire returning as she raised her newly upgraded knives for whatever might come next. _I'm going to get out of here... I'm going to get us out of here, even if it kills me..._ She repeated to herself as the Imperial soldier smirked, seeing the determination in her eyes as he sighed, somewhat glad that she was back to her rambunctious self.

Suddenly the sound of the round ending filled their ears, surprising them both as Isabella looked up to see Takeo scanning the windows in the area while holding his AK at the ready. The moans of the undead were already beginning to echo off the walls in the distance as the growing horde approached, their numbers larger and their forces stronger than before.

 _Dammit, not now... Not when we're so close!_ Izzy cursed, following the Imperial soldier back through the power room as they quickly made their way towards the meeting point in the center room. 

The sound of boards being ripped down filled their ears as they both rushed through the underground tunnels, spying daylight as they exited the caves near Speed Cola. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Isabella sprinted forward following the back of the Japanese man's uniform in front of her until he froze suddenly, making her crash into his back as she looked up and around him, wondering what had made him stop.

A wicked scream filled their ears as Isabella saw the screeching zombie eyeing them from across the bridge as it let loose another deadly howl before sprinting towards them...


End file.
